6 


"2  , 


r 


KIM  SU  BANG 

AND  OTHER  STORIES  OF  KOREA 


GREAT  SOUTH  GATE,  SONGDO. 


KIM  .<0  BANG 

AND  OTHER  STORIES 
OF  KOREA  .esc 


Bp  Ellasue  Canter  Wagner 


Nashville,  Tenn.;  Dallas,  Tex. 
Publishing  House  cf  the  M.  E.  Church,  South 
f Smith  & Lamar,  Agents 

! 

LIBRARY  OF  PRINCETON 


JAN  2 3 2008 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


Copyright,  1909 

BY 

Smith  & Lamar 


Sritiratum 


TO  MY 

DEAREST  FRIENDS  AND  MOST  HELPFUL  TEACHERS 
MY  MOTHER  AND  MY  FATHER 
I DEDICATE  THIS  LITTLE  VOLUME 


Ellasue  Canter  Wagner 


INTRODUCTION 


I HAVE  read  at  a single  sitting  “Kim  Su 
Bang”  and  the  other  charming  stories  that 
compose  these  Korean  sketches.  The  unique 
feature  in  each  is  that  it  is  the  Korean  as  he 
sees  us  rather  than  as  we  see  him.  To  him 
we  are  the  “Light  Bringers,”  and  he  rejoices 
to  see  the  light  and  to  abide  in  it.  Far  beyond 
any  knowledge  that  he  ever  had  or  dreamed  of 
the  true  God,  comes  one  with  the  story  of 
Jesus.  It  is  a story  that  turns  the  world  up- 
side down,  it  changes  all  the  old  and  cruel 
Korean  customs  of  thinking  and  conduct,  but 
it  makes  sweeter  homes  and  more  peaceful 
lives.  It  comes  as  the  leaven  of  a holy  life 
that  causes  these  simple  people  to  give  up  what 
Jesus  does  not  approve,  though  it  be  father  or 
mother,  or  husband  or  wife,  or  home  or  false 
gods. 

In  no  land  has  there  ever  been  a more  won- 
derful and  more  continuous  religious  awaken- 

(7) 


8 


KIM  SU  BANG 


ing.  This  history  of  Korea  could  be  added  to 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  (the  one  unfinished 
book  of  the  Bible,  as  if  it  were  intended  that 
later  ages  should  add  new  chapters)  and  seem 
part  of  the  sacred  story.  This  book,  like  the 
Acts,  tells  of  “the  church  in  the  house”  and 
how  for  the  old  household  gods  Jesus  becomes 
Lord  of  all.  It  is  an  illustration  of  the  beau- 
tiful parable  of  the  growing  corn:  “First  the 
blade,  then  the  ear,  and  then  the  full  corn  in 
the  ear.”  Here  too  will  be  found  the  “seed 
corn”  of  the  future  harvests  in  Korea. 

Eugene  R.  Hendrix. 


j 


FOREWORD 


THIS  little  book  is  sent  forth  with  a heart 
full  of  love  for  Korea,  and  with  the 
desire  that  those  who  read  it  may 
he  stirred  to  pity  for  the  lot  of  the  heathen 
women. 

If  some  one  grasps  a clearer  vision  of  Ko- 
rea’s need,  or  if  one  person  is  brought  to  more 
loving,  zealous  service  for  the  redemption  of 
our  Korean  sisters  through  the  reading  of  these 
simple  stories,  I shall  feel  that  my  work  has  not 
been  in  vain.  Ellasue  Canter  Wagner. 
Songdo,  Korea. 


(9) 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Kim  Su  Bang 13 

Toksunie 43 

Mittome 53 

Come  unto  Me 77 


KIM  SU  BANG 


I. 

The  Failure. 

THE  emerald-decked  hills  stood  clear  and 
distinct  against  the  bright  sky  of  the 
springtime.  From  the  crest  of  the  high- 
est hill  one  might  look  far  down  the  valley,  be- 
yond the  terraces  of  rice  fields,  to  the  little  vil- 
lage of  To  Kang  Kol.  A person  unaccus- 
tomed to  Korean  village  life  would  not  recog- 
nize in  this  sight  a group  of  houses,  however; 
for  the  one-story  mud  houses,  with  the  straw- 
thatched  roofs,  resembled  nothing  so  much  as 
last  year’s  weather-beaten  straw  stacks,  half 
used  to  the  ground.  Viewed  from  the  eleva- 
tion of  the  hill,  the  village  looked  like  a nest 
of  huge  brown  straw  stacks. 

The  only  house  of  To  Kang  Kol  which 
boasted  a tile  roof  was  that  of  Kim  Su  Bang, 
the  wealthiest  man  of  the  village. 

There  was  great  excitement  and  hustle  at 

03) 


14 


KIM  SU  BANG 


this  house  to-day.  From  every  direction  came 
people  of  the  village,  anxious  to  have  a “sight- 
see”  of  the  wonders  that  were  to  be  performed 
there.  Kim  Su  Bang’s  first  wife  was  an  in- 
valid, and  this  day  had  been  set  by  the  great 
sorceress,  or  “mudang,”  as  the  most  opportune 
time  to  drive  out  the  demon  which  she  an- 
nounced had  taken  possession  of  poor  Mrs. 
Kim  and  was  the  cause  of  all  this  sickness. 

An  old  woman  with  bent  body,  leaning  on 
a stick,  slowly  hobbled  along  toward  the  place 
of  interest,  followed  by  a younger  woman,  her 
daughter-in-law. 

“No  use  to  tell  me,”  nodded  the  old  lady; 
“I  don’t  believe  the  ‘mudang’  can  do  anything 
for  the  inside  of  Kim  Su  Bang’s  house  [Mrs. 
Kim].  Haven’t  I seen  the  ‘wewun’  [native 
doctor]  try  all  these  five  years?  Yes,  and  he 
has  done  all  he  could — powdered  tiger  bones, 
the  saliva  of  a black  cow,  three  live  frogs,  a 
boiled  hen  filled  with  angleworms.”  She  enu- 
merated them  on  her  fingers.  “Yes,”  she 
continued,  “and  you  yourself  know  how  we 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


15 


have  caught  several  snakes  ourselves  to  make 
broth  for  her.  So  if  these  don’t  cure  her,  I 
haven’t  much  faith  in  the  ‘mudang,’  for  I have 
seen  her  fail  too;”  and  the  old  dame  shook  her 
head  sadly  and  sighed. 

As  the  two  women  neared  the  house  the 
sound  of  drums  and  brass  gongs  was  deafen- 
ing, and  they  pushed  forward  with  great  inter- 
est. There  on  a straw  mat  in  the  center  of  the 
courtyard  lay  the  sick  woman,  grumbling  in  a 
cross,  fretful  voice,  pale  and  emaciated,  her 
face  drawn  and  haggard  with  suffering.  Near 
by  were  spread  foods  of  different  kinds  for  the 
spirits. 

The  “mudang”  was  in  the  midst  of  the  cere- 
mony of  exorcism.  She  was  a middle-aged 
woman  of  evil  countenance,  dressed  gaudily  in 
flowing  silk  robes,  gesticulating  and  posturing, 
then  making  long  speeches  to  the  sick  woman. 
This  went  on  for  some  time.  Food  was  thrown 
for  the  spirit,  and  the  “mudang”  began  to 
grow  excited  and  “possessed.”  She  leaped  and 
danced,  screaming  at  the  top  of  her  voice,  while 


16 


KIM  SU  BANG 


the  excited,  wondering  crowd  stood  by,  wide- 
eyed  with  interest  and  terror.  After  an  hour 
or  so  of  this  weird  performance  she  ran  to  a 
tree,  wailing  all  the  time,  and  announced  that 
the  work  was  done  and  the  spirit  was  impris- 
oned elsewhere. 

The  people  turned  with  interest  to  the  sick 
woman  lying  in  the  broiling  hot  sun;  she  had 
fainted.  The  “mudang”  pocketed  her  large  fee 
and  departed.  Servants  lifted  the  sick  woman 
and  carried  her  into  her  room,  where  she  soon 
returned  to  renewed  consciousness  and  suf- 
fering. 


II. 


The  New  Doctrine. 

KIM  SU  BANG  had  been  to  the  city  dur- 
ing this  time,  and  the  day  after  the 
“mudang’s”  efforts  he  returned  home 
on  his  donkey  (an  aristocratic  animal,  much 
used  by  high-class  gentlemen).  When  he  heard 
of  the  failure  of  the  sorceress,  he  smiled  sar- 
castically as  he  replied : “Those  women  are  so 
foolish ! Of  course  she  failed ; they  always  do. 
I have  been  hearing  of  a new  doctrine  since  I 
went  to  the  city — the  Jesus  doctrine.  There 
are  many  people  there  who  believe,  and  I have 
brought  some  books  home  to  study  it  for  my- 
self; and  he  carefully  unrolled  two  little  red 
books,  the  Gospel  of  Matthew  and  the  Acts. 

Kim  Su  Bang  was  not  a bad  man.  He  was 
not  conscious  of  any  shortcomings  in  his  life. 
He  got  drunk  occasionally — that  was  expect- 
ed. He  had  two  wives — yes,  certainly ; he  had 

(17) 


2 


18 


KIM  SU  BANG 


sufficient  means  to  support  more  if  he  cared  to. 
The  first  wife,  who  was  much  older  than  he, 
had  been  chosen  for  him  by  his  parents,  ac- 
cording to  Korean  custom.  That  he  did  not 
care  for  her  was  no  fault  of  his,  and  he  did  not 
ill  treat  her;  he  simply  let  her  alone.  What 
she  did  interested  him  little  or  not  at  all.  The 
second  wife  he  chose  for  himself — a mild  lit- 
tle woman,  with  sweet  face  and  gentle  ways, 
who  had  not  known  it  was  wrong  to  become  a 
“little  wife.”  This  woman  he  had  learned  to 
love,  and  during  the  months  which  followed 
his  return  from  the  city  he  turned  to  her  with 
, the  wonderful  truths  he  had  found  in  the  lit- 
tle red  books.  She  was  an  exceptional  Korean 
woman,  for  she  could  read  well,  and,  in  fact, 
strove  to  make  an  interesting  companion  for 
her  husband.  If  the  truth  were  told,  it  would 
be  found  that  deep  in  her  heart  she  knew  that 
if  she  ceased  to  interest  and  attract  him  she 
would  be  supplanted  by  a younger,  a fairer 
woman.  She  thus  made  an  effort  to  keep  the 
love  she  had  gained. 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


19 


Together  they  studied  the  books — Kim  Su 
Bang  and  his  second  wife — not  knowing  that 
the  doctrine  of  that  faith  would  sever  their 
ties  for  life.  They  decided  to  believe  and  to  do 
the  doctrine ; and  several  months  later,  when  a 
native  preacher  passed  through  their  village,  he 
found  their  hearts  fertile  ground  for  sowing 
the  seeds  of  the  kingdom. 

After  instructing  them  in  the  way  of  life  and 
in  the  laws  of  the  Church,  the  preacher  said: 
“Now,  Kim  Su  Bang,  there  are  many  things 
you  will  have  to  give  up  and  many  sacrifices 
you  must  make  for  Christ;  but  his  peace  and 
love  are  worth  it  all ; I,  too,  have  been  through 
it.” 

“Yes,”  answered  the  new  follower,  “I  already 
have  peace  and  comfort  I never  knew  before. 
Only  tell  me  what  to  do.” 

“Well,”  continued  the  teacher,  “you  have  two 
wives.  A Christian  can  have  but  one  at  a time, 
and  while  she  lives  he  must  be  true  to  her.” 
“Yes,  I have  thought  of  this,  and  I am  pre- 
pared to  put  away  my  first  wife.” 


20 


KIM  SU  BANG 


“O,  but  that  won’t  do!  The  rules  of  our 
Church  require  that  you  put  away  the  second.” 
At  these  words  the  listener’s  face  turned 
pale.  “What?  But  she  is  the  mother  of  my 
children ! The  first  one  is  cross,  sick,  and  old, 
and  she  won’t  hear  to  this  new  doctrine.  How 
can  I give  up  the  wife  I care  for?  That  is 
asking  too  much.” 

Then  all  through  the  night  they  talked  and 
prayed  and  argued.  “I  will  go  now  and  talk 
with  Mary — she  wants  to  be  baptized  ‘Mary’ — 
and  see  what  she  says.  It  will  be  harder  for 
her  than  for  me,  for  she  has  no  home  but  this. 
If  she  consents,  I will  too.” 

As  the  first  streaks  of  dawn  were  tinting  the 
east  with  gold,  the  sad-hearted  man  entered  his 
wife’s  room  and  told  her  all  the  preacher  had 
said.  At  first  she  was  shocked  and  silent,  and 
only  the  twitching  of  the  drawn,  white  face 
told  of  the  suffering  and  struggle  within.  But 
when  she  heard  he  had  left  the  decision  with 
her,  she  wrung  her  hands  and  moaned  aloud  in 
her  anguish.  “My  babies!”  she  whispered  at 


KOREAN  CHAIR. 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


21 


last.  “What  about  them?  Must  I give  them 
up,  too?”  And  she  drew  the  youngest  of  the 
little  ones  to  her  and  crushed  him  in  her  arms 
till  he  cried. 

“No,”  he  answered  with  a sob  in  his  voice; 
“you  are  to  keep  them  with  you,  and  I give 
you  your  part  of  all  my  possessions.  The  chil- 
dren are  mine,  all  I have ; and  I love  them  too, 
you  know.” 

Then  she  realized  that  she  was  not  the  only 
one  making  a sacrifice.  “Go — go  away  awhile 
and  leave  me  to  think  alone,”  she  cried. 

The  newly  risen  sun  looked  down  on  the 
man  as  he  made  his  way  with  languid  step 
to  the  top  of  the  nearest  hill.  There  at  the 
foot  of  a lone  pine  tree  he  fell  on  his  knees 
and,  alone  with  his  God,  fought  the  fight  with 
self  and — won. 

A week  later,  all  preparations  having  been 
made,  we  find  Mary  and  her  two  children  at 
the  door  ready  to  start  on  her  long  journey  of 
two  days  back  to  her  mother’s  house. 

The  sedan  chair  and  servants  were  waiting 
at  the  door,  and  quietly  she  bade  all  good-by. 


22 


KIM  SU  BANG 


O,  yes,  it  was  hard!  The  fight  had  been  a 
bitter  one,  the  sacrifice  great ; but  Christ  in  her 
heart  had  conquered. 

Let  those  who  do  not  care  for  foreign  mis- 
sions and  those  who  ask  sneeringly  what  kind 
of  Christians  converted  heathen  make,  look 
into  their  own  hearts  and  see  if  they  have  made 
a sacrifice  so  great  for  Christ’s  sake. 

With  rhythmic  tread  the  chair  bearers  passed 
out  of  the  courtyard,  through  the  village,  and 
along  the  path  by  the  rice  field  just  as  the  sun 
was  peeping  up  from  behind  the  hill. 

There  on  the  hilltop  Mary  saw  a lonely  fig- 
ure by  the  pine  tree.  How  well  she  knew  that 
form!  Yes,  it  was  Kim  Su  Bang;  that  lone 
hilltop  had  become  his  favorite  place  of  prayer. 

Mary  covered  her  face  with  her  hands,  while 
the  sobs  shook  her  slender  body.  The  children 
seated  with  her  exclaimed  over  the  new  and 
wonderful  things  they  saw,  and  asked  many 
innocent  questions  about  them  which  the  moth- 
er did  not  answer,  which  she  did  not  hear ; for 
her  thoughts  were  with  the  lonely  man  on  the 
hilltop.  Thus  she  passed  out  into  the  new  day. 


III. 


Mrs.  Kim. 

MARY  had  been  gone  several  weeks. 

Household  life  was  much  the  same, 
only  in  one  man’s  bosom  was  there 
an  empty,  aching  heart;  he  cared  only  that 
sweet,  bright  Mary  had  gone  forever,  and  that 
the  prattle  and  noise  of  little  children  were  no 
longer  heard  there. 

Mrs.  Kim  was  still  sick  and  cross.  What 
did  she  think  of  Mary’s  departure?  For  sever- 
al days  she  wondered  at  it.  Kim  Su  Bang  said 
it  was  for  the  sake  of  his  new  religion,  and 
that  she,  Mrs.  Kim,  was  the  only  wife  he  was 
going  to  have.  Of  course  he  was  lying.  She 
knew  he  was  lying  to  her,  while  he  was  at  the 
same  time,  very  likely,  just  trying  to  find  an- 
other one  better  looking.  As  for  the  new  reli- 
gion, she  had  no  use  for  it.  It  was  all  foolish- 
ness, and  she  wouldn’t  listen  to  it  at  all.  There 

(23) 


24 


KIM  SU  BANG 


were  some  things  about  it  that  puzzled  her, 
however.  Why  did  Kim  Su  Bang  send  the  two 
boys  away  with  Mary  ? Every  man  must  sure- 
ly want  all  the  boy  children  possible.  If  they 
had  been  girls,  she  could  have  understood  that ; 
but  this  was  strange.  Then,  too,  he  was  cer- 
tainly more  thoughtful  of  her  than  ever  before 
and  very  kind.  But  pshaw!  she  knew  there 
was  some  bug  under  the  chip.  Kim  Su  Bang 
was  trying  hard  to  bring  the  cross,  suspicious 
old  woman  to  see  his  motives,  and  wanted  her 
to  accept  the  religion  he  knew  was  the  only 
true  way  of  life,  but  to'  all  entreaty  she  turned 
a deaf  ear.  No,  he  could  be  a fool  if  he  want- 
ed to;  as  for  her,  she  would  be  as  were  her 
fathers. 

She  looked  out  of  the  door  one  day  and  saw 
him  coming  across  the  court,  in  his  hand  a 
book.  “O,  coming  again  to  talk  your  foolish- 
ness !”  she  jeered  in  a high-pitched  voice. 

“I  am  coming  to  tell  you  more  about  Christ 
Jesus.  If  you  only  knew  more  about  this  doc- 
trine and  the  peace  and  joy  it  brings  to  your 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


25 


soul,  you  would  not  laugh  and  taunt,  but  thank- 
fully receive  it,”  he  answered  quietly  as  he  seat- 
ed himself  on  the  straw  mat  at  her  side. 

“I  won’t  listen!”  she  screamed  as  she 
rammed  her  fingers  into  both  ears  and  contin- 
ued to  pour  forth  a stream  of  abuse. 

Quietly  he  sat  and  listened,  and  when  he  saw 
she  had  worked  herself  into  such  a frenzy  that 
it  would  be  useless  to  stay  longer  he  departed 
with  a silent  prayer  that  she  might  soon  be 
brought  to  seek  the  paths  of  peace.  As  he 
slowly  made  his  way  across  the  courtyard,  Mrs. 
Kim’s  high,  angry  words  still  followed  him. 
Did  he  think  of  Mary’s  sweet  face  and  gentle 
voice,  now  far  away  in  her  home  village  ? 


IV. 


Unprotected. 

MARY  had  not  been  long  in  her  moth- 
er’s house  before  all  around  for  many 
miles  knew  of  it.  They  knew  that 
she  was  a Jesus  believer  now,  and  that  Kim  Su 
Bang  had  liberally  provided  for  her  and  her 
children.  But  few  believed  the  story  she  told. 
They  laughed  and  sneered  in  her  face.  “Such 
nonsense !”  they  said.  “We  know  he  just  got 
tired  of  you,  as  men  so  often  do.  Just  wait  and 
see  if  he  isn’t  getting  a younger,  prettier  wife.” 
Poor  Mary!  Her  life  was  not  an  easy  one, 
for  it  was  hard  to  bear  this  scoffing.  These 
people  could  not  understand  her  motives,  and 
to  all  her  actions  false  motives  were  imputed. 

Ye  Tab  Young  was  a wealthy  man,  the  in- 
fluential man  of  that  part  of  the  country.  He 
was  older  than  Mary’s  father,  who  had  been  a 
poor  man,  but  was  now  dead.  Ye  Tab  Young 
(26) 


KIM  SU  BANG 


27 


was  a wicked  wretch  who  never  put  a check  on 
his  passions.  A drunkard  and  a libertine,  he 
was  also  an  official;  and  with  him  to  desire  a 
thing  meant  to  use  every  means  in  his  power  to 
get  it.  There  was  none  in  that  country  who 
dared  to  say  “No”  to  this  wicked  man. 

That  Ye  Tab  Young  had  many  concubines 
was  no  reason  why  he  should  not  have  Mary 
also,  for  he  had  heard  that  she  was  fair  and 
lovely.  He  forthwith  sent  a matchmaker,  an 
old  woman,  to  Mary’s  house  to  make  the  usual 
arrangements,  never  once  dreaming  that  she 
would  refuse  the  honor,  for  had  she  not  been 
driven  from  her  husband’s  house? 

What  were  his  anger  and  rage  when  the 
woman  returned  and  told  him  that  Mary  quiet- 
ly and  firmly  refused  to  listen  to  one  word,  sim- 
ply saying  that  she  was  a Christian  and  could 
not  listen  even  to  such  a proposition ! 

In  his  fury  he  stormed  and  swore  that  she 
should  be  killed  for  her  impudence  to  an  of- 
ficial, but  in  his  heart  he  wanted  her  more  than 
ever.  He  had  never  before  been  forbidden 


28 


KIM  SU  BANG 


anything  he  really  desired,  and  this  but  made 
his  determination  the  stronger  that,  at  any 
cost,  have  her  he  would. 

Widow-stealing  is  an  awful  curse.  By  this 
means,  when  a woman  young  and  attractive 
is  left  without  protection,  the  man  who  wants 
her  gets  up  a crowd  of  ruffians  and,  going  to 
her  house,  throws  a sack  over  her  head  and 
carries  her  away  to  a life  of  shame. 

Ye  Tab  Young  was  not  long  about  gather- 
ing a rough  crowd  of  seven  or  eight  men,  and 
stealthily  they  made  their  way  toward  Mary’s 
house. 

That  evening,  without  any  thought  of  the 
evil  that  was  so  near,  Mary  and  her  mother  sat 
on  the  floor  by  the  light  of  the  flickering  can- 
dle. Mary  was  explaining  the  Bible  and  teach- 
ing her  mother  the  blessed  truths  of  her  reli- 
gion. The  old  lady  was  listening  eagerly 
while  the  daughter  talked  of  Jesus’s  love;  the 
Book  had  fallen  unheeded  to  the  floor,  when 
suddenly  on  the  silent  night  air  were  borne  the 
loud  voices  of  men  angrily  demanding  admit- 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


29 


tance.  Before  Mary  realized  what  it  meant, 
came  the  noise  of  the  crashing  timbers  of  the 
gate.  Her  mother  pushed  her  hurriedly  into 
the  closet  and  turned  to  meet  the  men  at  the 
door,  who  rushed  roughly  into  the  room. 

“Get  out  of  my  way,  old  woman,  and  tell 
us  where  that  girl  is,”  demanded  the  leader. 
“We  know  she  is  here,  and  you  can  save  your- 
self the  trouble  of  lying.” 

“She  is  gone,”  answered  the  old  lady,  trem- 
bling with  terror,  for  she  recognized  the  man. 

“Here,  give  me  that  rope  to  tie  the  old 
thing;  she  won’t  tell  the  truth;  we  will  search 
for  ourselves.” 

Then,  much  to  their  surprise,  the  closet  door 
opened,  and  out  stepped  the  girl. 

Why  didn’t  they  throw  the  sack  over  her 
head  and  carry  her  off  then  ? Why  was  it  that 
when  they  saw  the  calm  purity  of  her  face  they 
fell  back  a step  instead  of  seizing  her  as  they 
had  intended? 

Then  her  calm,  sweet  voice  sounded  through 
the  room : “I  know  why  you  are  here.  You 


30 


KIM  SU  BANG 


thought  you  could  carry  me  away.  Look  you ! 
I am  a Christian;  and  I am  not  afraid  of  you, 
for  you  can’t  touch  me!  The  God  I serve  is 
God  of  all.  He  protects  me.  I have  his  prom- 
ise: ‘Lo,  I am  with  you  alway.’  He  is  with 
me  now;  you  can’t  touch  me.” 

These  strong,  rough  men  looked  at  her  in 
wonder  and  amazement — a frail  little  woman, 
unprotected,  to  so  defy  them!  They  stood 
there  thus  a moment ; then  fear  and  consterna- 
tion seized  them,  and,  turning  with  one  ac- 
cord, they  fled  from  the  house  and  down  the 
road  as  though  a legion  of  angels  were  after 
them. 

What  was  it  in  that  little  woman,  seeming- 
ly alone  and  unprotected,  that  drove  away 
those  men  who  would  have  carried  her  to 
a life  worse  than  death?  Ask  Mary.  Her 
faith  and  earnestness  increased,  and  from  that 
day  those  who  sneered  and  laughed  at  her  be- 
fore came  to  hear  her  words  and  to  listen  as 
she  read  the  Book. 

Thus  it  came  about  that  when,  several 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


31 


moons  later,  Pastor  Chang  came  to  see  how 
she  was  getting  along,  he  found  a good-sized 
group  of  Christians  anxious  for  a Church  to  be 
organized  in  their  village. 

Now  any  day  in  that  place  one  may  see  Mary 
with  her  white  veil  over  her  head,  going  un- 
molested from  house  to  house  among  the  poor 
and  sick,  always  carrying  cheer  and  comfort. 
All  recognize  her  as  a child  of  God — one  whose 
sweetness  and  purity  of  life  have  led  many  to 
Christ. 

In  all  that  province  there  is  no  one  more 
revered  or  better  loved  than  Kim  Mary. 


V. 


In  War’s  Path. 

THE  next  spring  Pastor  Chang  again 
neared  the  village  which  was  once  the 
home  of  Kim  Su  Bang  and  Mary.  As 
he  came  around  the  curve  of  the  hill  he  stopped 
suddenly,  with  surprise  and  dismay  written  all 
over  his  face.  What  does  this  mean?  On  ev- 
ery side  he  saw  the  charred  remains  of  a burned 
village,  and  he  looked  in  vain  for  the  familiar 
house  of  Kim  Su  Bang.. 

While  he  stood  thus  in  questioning  attitude 
he  saw  a man  slowly  descending  from  the  near- 
est hill.  Yes,  it  was  Kim  Su  Bang;  and  the  pas- 
tor made  his  way  eagerly  toward  him,  anxious 
to  hear  the  explanation  of  all  this  devastation. 

Kim  Su  Bang  led  him  around  the  curve  of 
the  hill  toward  what  was  once  the  house  of  one 
of  his  servants  and  which  was  now  all  that  was 
left  to  him.  As  they  passed  slowly  and  sadly 

(32) 


<c^ 


HULLING  RICE 


KIM  SU  BANG 


33 


down  the  path,  Pastor  Chang  heard  Kim  Su 
Bang’s  story,  which,  alas!  is  not  an  unusual 
one  in  these  times  of  trouble  in  Korea. 

After  the  Japanese  took  control  of  Korea  at 
the  close  of  the  Japanese-Russian  War,  the  Ko- 
rean rebels,  or  insurgents,  were  very  numerous 
in  this  part  of  the  country.  It  was  worth  a 
man’s  head  in  those  times  to  take  sides  with 
either  party;  and  seeing  the  hopelessness  of 
his  country’s  independence,  Kim  Su  Bang  re- 
frained from  taking  any  active  part. 

One  night  during  the  winter,  however,  a 
company  of  Korean  insurgents  entered  the  vil- 
lage, and  at  the  point  of  guns  demanded  food 
and  shelter  from  the  people. 

The  next  day,  not  long  after  the  insurgents 
had  departed,  the  Japanese  army  marched  into 
the  village.  Finding  that  the  people  had  shel- 
tered and  fed  the  insurgents,  the  Japanese  set 
fire  to  the  village,  took  all  the  rice  and  provi- 
sions, and  led  out  many  of  the  villagers  to  ex- 
ecution as  examples  of  patriotism. 

“So,”  continued  Kim  Su  Bang,  “I  saw  many 

3 


34 


KIM  SU  BANG 


neighbors  led  forth  to  be  shot.  I lost  all  my 
earthly  possessions,  and  barely  escaped  with 
my  life.  But  I am  still  able  to  praise  God  and 
thank  him  for  his  peace  and  joy;  and  while  I 
can’t  understand  all  these  things,  I am  trusting 
my  Father  in  the  dark.”  His  face  was  radiant 
as  he  spoke. 

As  the  two  men  came  near  the  tiny  house 
which  had  once  been  the  servants’,  the  fretful 
voice  of  Mrs.  Kim  sounded  on  their  ears. 

“How  is  Mrs.  Kim?  Has  she  yet  accepted 
Christ?” 

“No,”  sadly  replied  Kim  Su  Bang;  “and  she 
seems  to  get  worse  and  more  bitter  against  the 
Church.  She  says  it  is  my  foolishness  that 
has  brought  all  this  misfortune  upon  us.  Now 
we  have  just  one  little  servant  girl  to  do  all 
the  work,  when  she  once  had  many  servants 
and  slaves.  Not  much  to  eat  now.  Yes,  I 
know  it’s  hard,”  he  sighed ; “for  she  hasn’t  the 
consolation  I have,  and  she  blames  me  with  it 
all.” 

“Kim  Su  Bang,  I sympathize  with  you  from 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


35 


the  depths  of  my  heart;  for  I,  too,  have  had 
an  experience  not  unlike  yours.  I want  special- 
ly to  tell  you  of  the  wonderful  American  doc- 
tor in  the  city,  who,  I believe,  can  cure  your 
wife  of  her  sickness  if  you  could  get  her  to  go.” 

“I  don't  know  whether  she  would  go  or  not, 
she  is  so  set  against  Christianity  and  all  its 
workers.” 

The  subject  was  very  tactfully  taken  to  Mrs. 
Kim's  notice,  and  she  was  told  that  there  was 
a great  doctor  in  Seoul  who  had  cured  many 
who  were  much  worse  than  even  she.  She  lis- 
tened doubtfully.  At  first  she  fussed  and  quar- 
reled. “Let  me  die  peacefully  here  at  home,” 
she  said ; “the  sooner  the  better.  I don’t  want 
to  be  cut  up  and  made  into  medicine  for  Amer- 
icans to  eat.” 

But  by  degrees  the  stories  of  how  others 
were  cured  took  root  in  her  mind  and  bore 
fruit,  and  she  listened  to  the  proposition  that 
she  should  go.  Finally  she  reluctantly  con- 
sented. “But,”  said  she,  “I  am  not  so  sure  but 
that  you  just  want  to  get  rid  of  me.” 


36 


KIM  SU  BANG 


Now,  ’ asked  Pastor  Chang-,  “how  will  you 
get  her  there  ? You  can’t  afford  a chair  as  you 
once  could  and  chair  bearers  to  take  her.” 

I will  carry  her  on  my  back,”  answered 
Kim  Su  Bang.  “She  is  very  light,  and  since  I 
have  had  to*  work  I have  learned  to  carry  a 
‘jiggy.’  Of  course  one  hundred  and  fifty  li 
[fifty  miles]  is  a long  way,  and  she  will  be 
tired;  but  that  is  the  best  I can  do,  and  I be- 
lieve the  great  doctor  will  give  her  life.” 

The  simple  preparations  were  soon  complete 
for  the  trip,  and  the  man  with  his  strange  bur- 
den started  toward  the  great  city,  thinking  not 
of  himself,  but  of  the  cure  of  his  wife. 

Though  his  load  seemed  light  at  first,  before 
he  had  gone  many  miles  the  burden  grew  very 
heavy  and  many  stops  were  necessary,  not  only 
for  his  sake,  but  for  the  sake  of  the  sick  wom- 
an. Her  position  was  not  an  easy  one  on  the 
rough  framework  of  the  “jiggy,”  as  it  was 
strapped  to  her  husband’s  back;  the  hot  rays 
of  the  sun  were  very  uncomfortable.  These 
things  did  not  sweeten  the  disposition  of  Mrs. 


Devil  Posis. 


WAYSIDE  DEVIL  POSTS. 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


Kim,  who  was  used  to  thinking  only  of  her 
own  comfort.  This  made  it  harder  for  Kim 
Su  Bang.  Sometimes,  when  worn  and  weary 
with  the  heat  and  the  burden,  he  grew  heart- 
sick and  wondered  if,  after  all,  it  was  worth 
while,  and  whether  she  for  whom  he  was  en- 
during all  this  would  ever  come  to  see  the  light. 

The  distance  to'  the  city  (fifty  miles)  Kim 
Su  Bang  had  often  walked  with  ease  in  two 
days,  but  with  this  unreasonable  woman  for  a 
traveling  companion  it  was  not  till  the  close  of 
the  sixth  day  of  their  journey  that  they  drew 
near  to  the  gates  of  the  city. 

Drawing  a towel  from  his  girdle  to  mop  the 
dripping  perspiration  from  his  face,  the  tired 
burden  bearer  stumped  his  toe  on  a rolling 
stone  and  gave  Mrs.  Kim  a rough  jolt  before 
he  could  steady  himself. 

“There  now!  You  will  kill  me  yet  before 
we  get  there,”  she  shrieked.  “Can’t  you  be 
more  careful?”  she  continued,  giving  his  hair 
a sharp  twist  and  pull. 

He  did  not  answer;  he  heeded  not  the  pain, 
for  his  thoughts  were  beyond,  in  the  great 
city. 


VI. 


At  the  Hospital. 

IT  had  been  four  weeks  since  Mrs.  Kim  had 
been  brought  to  the  hospital.  She  sat  in 
her  room  with  the  quiet,  white-capped 
nurse  and  listened  to  what  was  being  said. 

Can  this  woman  with  the  eager  eyes  and 
earnest  voice  be  the  same  that  was  brought  in 
on  her  husband’s  back?  Yes,  the  same,  but 
very  changed;  for  the  tender  ministrations  of 
physicians  and  nurses  had  made  her  wonder 
and  fear  at  first;  then  by  degrees,  as  her 
pain  was  eased,  she  accepted  without  doubt  and 
with  gratitude  whatever  they  offered  her, 
whether  medicine  or  religious  instruction. 

Soon  after  her  arrival  the  surgeons  had  per- 
formed a delicate  operation,  which  was  quite 
successful ; and  after  this  she  improved  rapid- 
ly. With  the  disappearance  of  the  old  aching, 
throbbing  pain  came  new  interest  in  life  and 

(38) 


KIM  SU  BANG 


39 


renewal  of  faith  in  humanity,  which  had  been 
lost  with  her  childhood.  Best  of  all  came  faith 
in  Jesus  Christ;  and  with  this  came  an  under- 
standing of  her  husband’s  motives  and  actions, 
which  before  she  had  viewed  with  suspicion. 
Only  four  weeks  had  passed,  but  with  them 
had  passed  away  her  old  selfish  nature;  her 
heart  she  freely  gave  to  Christ,  and  eagerly  lis- 
tened to  her  teacher’s  words  of  instruction.  The 
seed  which  Kim  Su  Bang  had  sown  so  faithful- 
fully  and  under  such  difficulties  were  bearing 
fruit  at  last. 

Kim  Su  Bang  had  been  obliged  to  go  back  to 
the  country;  but  this  was  the  tenth  day  of  the 
sixth  moon,  on  which  day  he  said  he  would  re- 
turn. The  nurse  had  said  that  visiting  hours 
would  soon  begin,  and  the  patient  listened 
eagerly  as  she  heard  footsteps  in  the  hall.  The 
nurse  softly  opened  the  door  and  said,  “Your 
husband,  Mrs.  Kim,”  and  then  quietly  closed 
the  door  and  left  them  alone. 

“Kim  Su  Bang!”  she  cried,  holding  out  her 
hands,  and  for  the  first  time  in  many  years 


40 


KIM  SU  BANG 


found  herself  embarrassed  and  without  words 
in  his  presence. 

He  gently  and  kindly  took  her  hands  in  his 
with  words  of  greeting. 

“O  Kim  Su  Bang,”  she  said  with  tears  in 
her  eyes,  “I  have  so  much  to  say.  But  first 
I want  to  tell  you  that  I see  how  wicked,  self- 
ish, and  ugly  I have  been  all  these  years,  and 
I want  to  ask  you  to  please  forgive  me.  Can 
you  forgive  me?”  she  continued  as  he  remained 
silent. 

“Forgive  you?”  he  answered  brokenly.  “It 
is  I who  should  ask  your  forgiveness.  Had  I 
been  different  from  the  first,  you  would  not 
have  become  so  hardened.  I was  to  blame.  In 
my  ignorance  and  blindness  I did  not  care 
then,  but  the  Lord  has  been  leading  us  both. 
From  this  time  forth  we  will  both  do  better.” 

“I  am  a Christian,  too,  now,”  she  broke  in 
eagerly.  “There  are  so  much  peace  and  happi- 
ness in  my  heart,  which  once  was  full  of  hate 
and  fear,  suspicion  and  misery,  that  it  does  not 
seem  it  can  be  the  same  heart.” 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


41 


“Thank  the  Lord!”  he  answered  earnestly. 
“I  knew  it  would  come.  I have  something  to 
tell  you,  too.  During  these  weeks  I have  spent 
much  time  on  the  hilltop  by  the  pine  tree.  The 
Lord  has  been  with  me,  and  he  has  told  me 
that  he  has  other  work  for  me  to  do;  I am  go- 
ing to  preach  the  gospel.” 

She  looked  at  him  a moment  with  some- 
thing more  than  interest  dawning  in  her  eyes, 
then  said  slowly:  “Well,  I’m  glad;  for  you  can 
then  help  others  to  know  our  Saviour.  I am 
only  a poor,  ignorant  woman.  I know  I can- 
not help  much,  but  I want  to  do  my  part  too ; 
it  may  not  be  much,  but  I’ll  do  all  I can.” 

The  doctor,  coming  to  the  door  a little  later, 
opened  it  and  looked  in;  then,  seeing  them 
down  on  their  knees  in  the  middle  of  the  room, 
he  softly  closed  the  door  and  passed  on  to  the 
next  ward  with  a thoughtful  smile  on  his  face 
and  thanksgiving  in  his  heart. 


TOKSUNIE 


I AM  ten  years  old,  and  only  a girl — just 
a Korean  girl — and  my  name  is  Toksunie. 
My  father,  Mr.  Pak,  is  a “yan-ban”  (gen- 
tleman), and  I am  terribly  afraid  of  him.  The 
servants  say  there  is  really  no  reason  to  fear 
him,  and  I suppose  there  isn't ; for  once  he  pat- 
ted me  on  the  head,  pinched  my  cheek,  and 
asked  me  which  of  the  children  I was.  Of 
course  it  is  only  natural  that  he  should  not 
know  us  all  very  well;  for  I am  only  one  of 
the  third  wife’s  children,  and  there  are  ever  so 
many  of  us  altogether. 

I believe  in  Jesus,  but  none  of  the  rest  do. 
They  laugh  at  me,  but  say  that  since  I am  only 
a girl  it  doesn’t  make  much  difference  if  I do 
foolish  things. 

Where  did  I learn  the  Jesus  doctrine?  Why, 
little  Poke  told  me  all  about  it.  I listened  for 
hours  under  the  great  tree  in  her  yard  while 
she  told  me  the  strangest,  most  beautiful  things 

(43) 


44 


KIM  SU  BANG 


about  Jesus.  Poke’s  father  is  class  leader  in 
the  little  Church  in  the  village.  She  has 
taught  me  some  of  the  sweet  songs  they  sing 
clown  at  the  church ; and  I love  that  one  about 
“Jesus  loves  me”  best  of  all,  because  I feel  so 
different  since  I know  that  some  one  loves  me. 

Last  year  Poke  went  to  school  to  the  for- 
eign ladies  down  in  the  big  city  of  Songdo.  I 
never  heard  of  such  a thing  as  a school  for 
girls.  Did  you  ? She  said  that  there  never  had 
been  one  in  Korea  until  the  Christians  and 
Christian  teachers  came. 

I was  so  lonely  after  she  left  that  I cried 
a great  deal.  Then  one  day  when  I was  cry- 
ing Poke’s  mother  saw  me  and  felt  very  sor- 
ry for  me.  So  she  said:  “I  have  been  think- 
ing about  you;  so  don’t  cry,  little  Toksunie.  I 
wonder  if  you  would  not  like  to  go  to  the 
school  in  Songdo  with  Poke?” 

“O,  yes!”  I said.  That  was  better  than  I 
ever  dreamed  of.  Do  you  know  what  that 
would  mean  to  me?  Why,  I would  learn  to 
read  my  Bible  and  the  sweet  hymns  in  the  lit- 


CHILD  S WINTER  DRESS  IN  KOREA. 


\ 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


45 


tie  hymn  book  and  many  more  wonderful 
things  about  the  world  and  the  people  in  all 
the  strange  countries  across  the  seas.  But  I 
would  be  so  very  happy  if  I only  knew  a little 
bit. 

Poke’s  mother,  Mrs.  Kim,*  said  that  if  my 
father  said  I might  go,  the  very  next  time  that 
Mr.  Kim  went  to  Songdo  to  take  Poke’s  rice 
and  clothes  they  would  take  me  with  them. 
She  said  that  the  foreign  ladies  were  very  kind, 
and  she  was  sure  they  would  take  me  in  the 
school,  for  father  would  pay  for  me. 

It  was  that  very  night  that  I was  so  fright- 
ened. Mother  and  the  other  women  were 
talking  after  they  thought  I was  asleep.  Moth- 
er said : “It  certainly  is  time  that  Toksunie  was 

*It  will  be  noticed  that  the  surname  Kim  is  used 
more  than  once  in  these  stories.  Those  who  have 
been  to  Korea  will  know  that  this  is  because  of  the 
fact  that  this  name  (Kim)  is  even  more  common  there 
than  is  “Smith”  or  “Jones”  here.  In  fact,  at  least  half 
of  the  children  in  our  school  were  “Kims.”  There  are 
very  few  surnames;  Kim,  Pak,  Ye,  Chang,  Na,  and 
Sung  are  the  usual  ones  in  use,  and  others  are  very 


rare. 


46 


KIM  SU  BANG 


married;  she  is  ten  years  old  now — quite  a 
large  girl.” 

“Yes,  I have  said  so  for  a long  time,”  said 
another.  “She  is  getting  so  many  queer 
things  into  her  head,  too,  that  if  she  isn’t  sent 
to  her  mother-in-law’s  very  soon  you  may 
have  a hard  time  to  get  her  off.” 

I know  that  I am  getting  old,  but  I don’t 
want  to  be  sent  to  a mother-in-law’s;  I want 
to  learn  the  lovely  things  I have  heard  about 
Jesus.  I lay  there  and  trembled  as  I thought 
of  the  fate  which  would  be  mine  if  I were 
given  to  a man  like  those  I hear  about  some- 
times, who,  because  their  wives  are  not  pretty 
or  because  they  don’t  like  them,  whip  them  so 
dreadfully  that  they  run  away  or  else  die ; then, 
even  if  I did  not  die,  I would  soon  be  like  all 
the  other  women  I know,  who  say  that  girls 
ought  not  to  study  books,  and  that  learning  is 
only  for  boys.  After  a long  time  I fell  asleep; 
but  I had  decided  that  the  very  next  morning 
I would  go  to  father  and  ask  him  if  I might 
go  to  school,  as  Mrs.  Kim  said  I could  do. 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


47 


The  next  morning  I stayed  around  the  “sa- 
rang”  (men’s  quarters),  hoping  that  father 
would  come.  But  after  several  hours  Mr. 
Kim’s  kind  voice  said : “I  have  come  to  see 
your  father  about  you,  Toksunie.  Come  in 
with  me.”  So  I went  in,  and  they  talked  a 
long  time,  though  I did  not  say  a word  and 
father  didn’t  pay  any  heed  to  me  at  all.  I 
don’t  remember  all  that  was  said,  nor  his 
words ; but  at  last  father  said  that  he  supposed 
the  Jesus'  doctrine  was  all  well  and  good 
enough  for  children  and  women ; it  kept  them 
quiet  and  cut  off  mischief.  He  had  been  to 
the  city  and  admired  the  way  they  taught  the 
girls,  for  he  had  not  thought  girls  able  to  learn 
books.  He  said  that  perhaps  if  I went  to 
school  he  could  get  a richer  husband  for  me; 
that  it  was  time  I was  married,  and  he  had  al- 
ready had  some  good  offers.  He  also  said  that 
he  had  decided  to  send  me  to  my  mother-in- 
law  next  month,  but  that  since  Mr.  Kim  was 
interested  in  my  going  to  school  he  would  wait 
two  or  even  three  years  if  I were  put  in  school. 


48 


KIM  SU  BANG 


I did  not  hear  any  more,  for  I was  so  happy 
I had  to  slip  away  and  think. 

Finally  the  day  came  when  we  were  to  start 
to  the  city.  I thought  it  would  never  come. 
The  city  was  a long  way  off — sixty  miles— r-but 
I would  not  mind  walking  one  hundred  miles  to 
get  to  that  wonderful  place.  My  father  would 
have  had  a donkey  to  ride,  I am  sure;  for  he 
always  rides  one  when  he  goes  tO'  the  city ; but 
Mr.  Kim  is  a poor  man,  and  we  had  to  walk. 
He  had  a big  bag  of  rice  on  his  “jiggy”  that 
he  carried  on  his  back,  and  Mrs.  Kim  carried 
some  new  clothes  to  Poke  and  helped  me  to 
carry  mine. 

The  first  two  days  I got  along  all  right,  but 
the  third  day  my  feet  blistered  cruelly;  and 
when  we  started  out  on  the  fourth  and  last 
day  I could  scarcely  walk.  That  day  was  so 
long  that  I thought  it  would  never  end. 

At  last  the  city  came  into  view — the  largest 
I had  ever  seen.  So  many  straw-thatched 
houses  together  looked  like  a forest  of  mush- 
rooms. Mr.  Kim  led  us  through  many  long, 


JIGGY. 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


49 


narrow,  dirty  alleys,  and  finally  to  the  foreign 
teachers.  We  went  down  the  hill  and  into  the 
schoolhouse,  which  was  a long,  narrow,  straw- 
thatched  mud  house.  There  were  two  rooms 
eight  by  sixteen  feet,  which  seemed  much  too 
small  for  all  the  children.  They  filled  the 
rooms,  and  just  did  have  space  to  sit  on  the 
floor  by  crowding  each  other.  I wondered 
where  they  all  slept  at  night,  and  Poke  said 
that  some  went  home  in  the  city  at  night,  and 
that  the  others  slept  in  these  same  rooms.  Ev- 
ery one  seemed  happy;  and  as  they  were  all 
very  good  to  me,  I was  very  happy  too,  al- 
though my  feet  hurt  dreadfully.  There  were 
so  many  curious  things  to  see  that  I almost  for- 
got the-  pain. 

Some  of  the  girls  were  writing  Chinese; 
characters — yes,  real  Chinese,  like  the  boys  do. 
All  of  them  except  the  very  smallest  could 
read  and  write  the  Korean  beautifully.  O,  how 
ashamed  I was  to  be  ten  years  old  and  know 
nothing  at  all ! 

The  large  girls  came  in  from  the  foreign 
4 


50 


KIM  SU  BANG 


teacher’s  room  by  and  by  with  some  queer- 
looking books  under  their  arms  that  they  were 
studying;  they  told  me  what  they  were,  but  I 
have  forgotten.  Those  big  girls  must  know 
a lot — even  more  than  Mr.  Kim,  I suppose. 

After  they  were  through  studying,  one  of 
the  foreign  ladies  came  in.  She  had  funny 
white  hair  that  looked  like  gold  in  the  sun- 
light. She  said  that  it  was  time  to  sew,  and 
they  all  went  to  sewing.  They  were  making 
many  kinds  of  beautiful  flowers  and  other 
things  with  silk.  I wanted  to  do  some  very 
much,  too;  but  the  sweet-faced  lady  with  the 
white  hair  said:  “No;  we  must  first  go  to  the 
house  and  talk  about  it.” 

After  a while  we  went  up  to  the  house  where 
the  foreign  ladies  live.  This  was  certainly  the 
strangest  house  I ever  saw.  They  called  it 
“two  stories” — that  is,  it  has  two  houses,  one 
on  top  of  the  other.  We  never  have  that  kind 
in  Korea.  But  it  was  much  larger,  cleaner, 
and  cooler  than  ours.  I asked  Mr.  Kim  if 
heaven  would  be  anything  like  this.  He  said 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


51 


it  would  be  much  better,  with  no  pain  or  sor- 
row or  even  sickness  there. 

They  told  me  to  sit  down  on  a chair  instead 
of  on  the  floor,  as  we  do  ; but  my  feet  went  to 
sleep  in  that  peculiar  position,  and  I . soon 
slipped  down  to  the  floor.  The  teachers  asked 
Mrs.  Kim  many  questions,  and  she  told  them 
all  about  how  I had  become  a believer,  and 
about  my  home,  just  as  I am  telling  you. 
When  she  finished,  both  the  ladies  had  tears  in 
their  eyes,  and  they  talked  to  each  other  a long 
time  in  a strange,  foreign  language  that  I 
could  not  understand,  though  I tried  hard;  it 
sounded  like  bird  talk. 

Then  one  of  them  said : “W e are  very  sor- 
ry, but  we  cannot  take  her.  We  should  like 
to  very  much,  but  we  have  more  girls  now 
than  we  can  make  comfortable,  and  have  al- 
ready turned  some  away.  Then  we  have  posi- 
tive orders  from  headquarters  to  take  no  more 
until  we  have  a new  building ; so  we  cannot  do 
otherwise.” 

Now,  I had  never  thought  of  that  before. 


52 


KIM  SU  BANG 


It  did  not  seem  possible  that  they  would 
send  me  back  home.  My  heart  was  very 
heavy  and  sad  as  we  went  back  to  the  school- 
rooms; for  I knew  that  to  go  home  meant  to 
go  into  another  heathen  home  with  my  mother- 
in-law,  who  would  persecute  me  and  impose 
many  hardships  upon  me;  and  besides  this,  it 
meant  giving  up  all  the  cherished  plans  that 
had  grown  so  dear  to  me. 

They  let  me  rest  a few  days  until  my  feet 
got  well  again.  During  those  few  days  I saw 
enough  to  make  me  know  that  I was  missing 
all  that  seemed  beautiful  and  worth  while  in 
life. 

Now  we  are  on  the  way  back;  to-morrow 
we  will  be  home  again.  I wonder  what  fa- 
ther will  do.  O,  I wish  I were  dead,  for  life 
will  be  so  hard  now.  I wonder  if  Jesus  does 
love  me,  after  all?  But  the  teacher  said  that 
we  must  trust  him  in  the  dark.  Yes,  he  cares; 
I know  he  cares.  But  no  one  else  does,  I am 
sure;  for  I am  only  Toksunie,  a little  Korean 
girl,  and  why  should  they  care  for  me  ? 


MITTOME 


OLD  man  Ye  sat  on  the  floor  of  the  nar- 
row veranda  outside  the  one  small 
room  of  the  little  mud  house  which 
was  his  home.  His  feet  were  doubled  under 
him  in  the  manner  peculiar  to  the  Korean  gen- 
tleman; the  baggy  trousers  which  had  once 
been  white  were  the  color  that  only  white 
material  can  assume  after  many  weeks  of  serv- 
ice. Mr.  Ye’s  horsehair  cap  was  very  much 
awry,  and  he  puffed  the  smoke  from  his  long- 
stemmed pipe  somewhat  faster  than  usual. 
But  from  the  expressionless  stolidity  of  his 
face  one  would  not  imagine  that  he  had  just 
eaten  the  last  bowl  of  rice  in  the  house,  and 
that  he  had  not  had  any  wine  that  day.  The 
studied  calm  of  his  countenance  was  as  serene 
as  usual. 

Mr.  Ye  was  in  trouble,  however,  despite  his 
unruffled  exterior.  A Korean  gentleman  parts 
with  his  dignity  the  last  thing.  He  may  have 

(53) 


54 


KIM  SU  BANG 


to  starve,  but  he  cannot  work;  and  Ye  Kung 
Su  was  a gentleman.  A year  ago  he  was  liv- 
ing in  comfort,  if  not  in  plenty.  His  worldly 
possessions  he  had  inherited  from  his  father, 
just  how  much  he  did  not  know;  but  now, 
as  he  gazed  into  the  blue  rings  of  smoke  curl- 
ing upward  from  the  small  bowl  of  the  pipe, 
he  wondered  what  had  become  of  it  all. 

“Yet,”  thought  he  as  his  conscience  gave  an 
uneasy  quake,  “I  am  really  not  to  blame,  for 
what  gentleman  is  supposed  to  know  the  sor- 
did details  of  business?” 

If  Mr.  Ye  was  taking  reverses  calmly,  there 
was  another,  however,  who  was  less  philosoph- 
ical, never  having  read  Confucius.  His  wife’s 
mind  was  very  much  disturbed,  neither  was 
her  disposition  sweetened  by  the  present  state 
of  affairs.  It  had  been  only  through  her  con- 
tinuous labors  and  the  sale  of  all  their  per- 
sonal and  household  property  that  she  had  man- 
aged to  keep  the  pot  boiling  during  the  past 
year.  Now  there  was  nothing  left  in  the  house 
except  the  large  iron  rice  pot. 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


55 


Two  girls  and  three  boys  had  died  in  in- 
fancy, and  only  one  child,  a daughter  ten  years 
old,  was  left.  This  child,  being  a girl,  had 
no  other  name  than  “Agie,”  meaning  “baby.” 
So,  according  to  ancient  custom,  her  mother 
was  known  only  as  “baby's  mother,”  Agie 
Omanie. 

Mr.  Ye  slowly  and  deliberately  shook  the 
ashes  from  his  pipe  and  opened  his  tobacco 
pouch  to  refill  it;  but  lo!  it  was  empty.  This 
was  a calamity  and  filled  his  heart  with  more 
dread  than  his  wife’s  mournful  announcement 
that  there  was  no  more  rice.  For  an  unguarded 
moment  the  calm  expression  of  his  face 
changed  to  one  of  dismay.  Just  then  Agie 
Omanie  came  into  the  court,  bearing  a large 
stone  jar  of  water  balanced  on  her  head. 

Unceasing  toil  from  early  morning  until  late 
at  night  was  all  she  had  ever  known.  It  had 
never  entered  her  mind  to  question  the  right  of 
her  lord  and  master  to  idle  his  time  away  while 
she  slaved  for  him  and  his  family.  She  was 
only  a woman,  and  ever  since  her  little  boys 


56 


KIM  SU  BANG 


had  one  by  one  passed  away  and  left  her  hus- 
band without  a son,  she  lived  daily  in  mortal 
terror  of  being  sent  away.  Her  husband  had 
threatened  several  times  to  take  another  wife, 
and  well  she  knew  he  would  not  support  two. 
Perhaps  it  was  hunger,  however,  that  drove 
fear  from  her  thoughts  to-day,  and  as  she  saw 
him  seated  so  comfortably  on  the  veranda  her 
anger  waxed  hot. 

“Here’s  your  supper,”  she  snapped  as  she 
set  the  water  pot  down  with  a bang.  “Winter 
is  coming  on  fast;  and  if  you  live  on  gruel  as 
thin  as  this  all  winter,  you  won’t  be  very  fat 
next  spring.” 

Mr.  Ye  looked  at  her  in  great  surprise,  for 
this  was  an  unusual  outbreak.  Others  had  felt 
the  sting  of  her  tongue,  but  never  had  she  spo- 
ken in  this  tone  to  him.  Without  answering 
or  showing  any  sign  that  he  had  heard,  her 
husband  slowly  rose,  wriggled  his  feet  into  the 
straw  sandals  sitting  on  the  steps,  and  with 
much  dignity  passed  out  of  the  courtyard  into 
the  narrow  street.  “Certainly  she  is  right,” 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


57 


soliloquized  the  gentleman  of  leisure.  “Things 
are  getting  to  a bad  state  at  my  house.  No 
wine  to-day,  and  the  rice  all  gone.  What  can 
I clo  ? I can’t  work,  and  there’s  nothing  left  to 
sell.  O yes!  I forgot  Agie.  She  is  ten  years 
old  and  a very  nice-looking  girl.  Hum-m ; I 
wonder  how  much  she  would  bring.  Guess 
I’ll  go  see.” 

We  will  not  go  into  the  harrowing  details 
of  that  sale — the  parting  of  mother  and  child 
and  little  Agie’s  broken-hearted  departure 
from  her  house  to  the  great,  strange  city  of 
Seoul.  Two  weeks  after  she  is  carried  in 
bonds  from  her  father’s  house  we  find  her  a 
slave  in  the  house  of  the  rich  Mr.  Na  and  a 
maid  to  Lady  Na.  It  would  be  impossible  to 
describe  the  torture  and  agony  endured  by  the 
timid,  shrinking  girl  during  this  time.  Her 
fate,  however,  might  have  been  worse.  Had 
Agie  been  pretty,  she  might  have  been  sold  for 
a dancing  girl,  as  many  girls  are.  These  girls 
are  taken  too  young  to  know  or  give  assent  to 
their  dreadful  fate,  being  secured  by  purchase 


58 


KIM  SU  BANG 


or  trickery,  and  are  trained  in  all  the  nefarious 
arts  of  their  degrading  and  degraded  occupa- 
tion. 

Had  Agie’s  eyes  been  beautiful  and  straight 
instead  of  crossed  and  crooked,  had  her  skin 
been  smooth  where  the  pox  marks  were  left  at 
the  time  her  little  brothers  and  sisters  had  been 
taken  away  by  the  smallpox  demon,  had  her 
short,  scraggy  hair  been  thick,  long,  and  glossy, 
she  might  have  brought  a bigger  price  and  have 
found  a worse  fate  than  that  of  a slave  to  a 
wealthy  lady.  To  be  sure,  Lady  Na  might 
have  been  far  kinder;  for  she  was  capricious, 
cross  and  fretful,  and  very  difficult  to  please. 
She  did  not  like  the  new  slave  girl.  She  failed 
to  see  underneath  the  unlovely  exterior  the 
sweet,  gentle  spirit  so  anxious  to  find  a place 
for  herself  in  the  heart  of  her  cold,  selfish  mis- 
tress. Had  the  lady  seen,  she  would  not  have 
cared.  The  child’s  ugliness  was  the  call  for 
many  rough,  coarse  jokes;  and  she  took  no 
thought  of  the  slave  girl  away  in  her  dark 
back  closet  of  a room  after  the  hard  day’s 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


59 


work  was  over,  though  the  child’s  heart  was 
sore  and  bleeding.  Many  times  she  was  beat- 
en for  trivial  faults,  but  it  was  not  because  of 
bruises  on  her  thin  little  body  that  Agie  sobbed 
herself  to  sleep  at  night. 

One  warm  afternoon,  while  Agie  sat  fanning 
her  mistress,  a friend  of  the  family,  Lady  Paek, 
called  with  her  retinue  of  servants.  After  a 
while  the  conversation  turned  to  the  Chris- 
tians in  the  city  and  the  missionaries.  “Have 
you  heard  of  their  queer  doctrine — the  Jesus 
doctrine?”  asked  Lady  Paek  as  she  nibbled  a 
rice  cake. 

“What  is  that?”  queried  Lady  Na;  and  she 
leaned  forward,  anxious  for  a dainty  tidbit  of 
gossip. 

“Huh,  I’m  sure  I don’t  know,”  answered 
Lady  Paek;  “but  they  do  tell  awfully  strange 
stories  about  those  foreign  people — Americans 
they  are — and  they  have  come  here  to  contam- 
inate our  people.  Worse  still,  many  are  fol- 
lowing them  and  believe  their  strange  doctrine. 
One  of  my  women  tells  me  that  they  actually 


GO 


KIM  SU  BANG 


catch  little  children  on  the  streets  and  put  them 
in  dungeons  under  their  houses,  where  they 
pluck  out  their  eyes  and  make  medicine  of 
them.  There  are  women  among  them,  too;  and 
do  you  know,  they  are  as  bold  as  the  men. 
They  go  on  the  street  without  a veil,  eat  with 
the  men,  and  even  talk  and  laugh  with  them,” 
and  she  settled  herself  back  in  virtuous  content 
to  select  another  cake. 

“Have  you  seen  them?”  asked  her  hostess 
with  much  interest. 

“O',  no,  of  course  not!  Would  I associate 
with  such  vileness  ? But  here  is  that  servant  of 
mine  who  knows  something  about  them.  Here, 
you ; come  here,”  and  she  raised  her  voice  to  a 
call,  and  the  woman  indicated  came  forward. 
“Come  tell  us  more  about  those  serpents,  the 
missionaries.  What  do  they  look  like?” 

The  woman,  glad  of  such  advancement  and 
of  preference  above  her  fellow-servants,  was 
delighted  to  tell  all  she  knew  and  more.  “They 
are  awfully  queer-looking  creatures,”  she  be- 
gan. “They  don’t  dress  like  we  do,  nor  look 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


61 


like  us.  Some  folks  say  that  they  are  not  hu- 
man.” Seeing-  the  interest  of  the  ladies  in  her 
dramatic  tale,  she  continued  impressively : “No 
one  knows  what  they  may  be.  They  have 
queer  green  eyes,  yellow  hair  that  stands  out 
like  cotton,  not  slick,  black,  and  nice,  like  yours. 
They  are  funny-shaped,  too1 — just  like  a wasp 
in  the  middle — and  the  men  have  their  hair 
cut  short,  without  a topknot.  They  said  there 
would  be  a meeting  in  the  chapel  to-night. 
Wouldn’t  you  like  to  go  and  see  for  yourself? 
They  are  very  kind.” 

Lady  Na  wanted  to  go,  but  Lady  Paek 
thought  it  would  be  a disgrace.  Finally,  how- 
ever, her  curiosity  got  the  better  of  her  digni- 
ty, and  they  went. 

The  preacher  was  just  in  the  middle  of  his 
discourse.  The  small  chapel  was  full  of  inter- 
ested listeners  when  a great  bustle  and  hurry 
at  the  entrance  announced  the  arrival  of  two 
great  ladies  in  their  bright-colored  closed 
chairs,  carried  by  four  coolies.  The  slaves  and 
servants  of  each  were  running  by  her  chair, 


62 


KIM  SU  BANG 


and  among  these  was  little  Agie.  Amid  much 
noise  and  confusion  they  entered  and  were 
finally  seated  like  the  rest  on  straw  mats  on 
the  floor.  The  speaker  stopped  several  times 
and  asked  them  not  to  talk  out  loud,  but  to  lis- 
ten quietly  like  the  rest.  But  they  had  come  to 
see,  not  to  hear. 

At  one  side  of  the  chapel,  by  a small  organ, 
sat  an  American  lady,  the  subject  of  their  in- 
terest. One  of  the  ladies  rose  and  went  over 
to  her,  examined  her  clothes  and  her  figure,  and 
asked  many  personal  and  embarrassing  ques- 
tions. The  American  lady  was  used  to  this 
sort  of  thing,  and  took  it  very  quietly,  trying 
to  satisfy  their  curiosity  and  also  to  keep  them 
from  disturbing  the  service  without  offending 
them.  Finally  they  got  so  noisy  that  she  told 
them  if  they  would  sit  down  and  be  quiet  she 
would  talk  to  them  after  service.  Then  they 
were  highly  indignant,  for  they  are  used  to  be- 
ing first  and  to  having  people  stop  anything 
they  may  be  doing  to  wait  on  them.  So'  they 
passed  out  of  the  chapel  in  high  dudgeon.  The 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


63 


missionary  followed  to  explain,  but  to  no  use. 
They  were  much  offended,  and  refused  to  lis- 
ten to  explanations.  The  servants  saw  the  la- 
dies leave  and  followed — all  but  little  Agie. 
She  had  gotten  so  much  interested  in  the  beau- 
tiful story  the  man  was  telling  that  she  heard 
nothing  else.  It  seemed  as  though  he  looked 
and  talked  just  to  her,  and  as  she  gazed  into 
his  kindly  eyes  and  heard  the  message  of  love 
and  hope,  she  knew  the  stories  she  had  heard 
of  these  people  were  false,  and  that  what  the 
man  said  was  true.  Surely  he  knew  how 
wTetched  and  unhappy  she  was,  and  how  she 
longed  for  some  one  to  love  her,  for  his  sub- 
ject was,  “God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave 
his  only-begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth 
on  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting 
life !,?  The  minister  was  inspired  by  the  eager 
little  listener.  She  had  never  heard  such  words 
before,  and  she  listened  with  her  heart  open  to 
the  truth  of  the  message.  With  eager  attention 
she  drank  in  every  word,  and  the  new  light  in 
her  face  told  of  hope  and  faith  born  in  her 
heart  that  day. 


64 


KIM  SU  BANG 


After  the  service  she  went  forward  and  de- 
clared her  intention  of  becoming  a follower  of 
Jesus  Christ  from  that  day.  The  missionaries 
gave  her  a little  red  hymn  book  and  a Gospel  of 
John,  and  she  started  home  with  a happy  heart, 
not  knowing  what  awaited  her  there.  The  re- 
frain of  one  of  the  sweet  hymns  still  rang  in 
her  ears, 

“Yes,  Jesus  loves  me; 

Yes,  Jesus  loves  me;” 

and  a sweet,  soft  voice  in  her  heart  that  she 
had  never  known  before  echoed  the  same  beau- 
tiful truth  as  she  remembered  the  missionary’s 
words  not  to  deny  her  Master,  though  she 
might  have  to  suffer  for  it. 

When  she  reached  home  she  found  her  mis- 
tress in  a raging  fury,  and  her  declaration  that 
she  was  a Jesus  believer  now  did  not  help  mat- 
ters. 

“You  little  rat!  Well,  we  will  fix  you. 
Easy  enough  to  beat  that  notion  out  of  your 
tangled  head.” 

Then  a man  was  called  to  beat  her  until  she 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


65 


took  back  such  foolish  words.  But  to  all  ques- 
tionings the  child  answered : “I  can’t  deny  my 
Lord.”  Pale  and  trembling,  she  bore  the  lash 
until  she  fell  in  a dead  faint. 

When  she  regained  consciousness  she  was 
lying  on  some  straw  in  an  outhouse.  An  old 
servant  woman  who  had  been  kind  to  her  be- 
fore was  bending  over  her,  and  it  was  almost 
dark.  “There,  you  foolish  child ! I thought 
you  were  dead.  Well,  you  will  be  soon  enough 
if  you  keep  this  up.  Mistress  says  she  will  kill 
you  if  you  don’t  give  up  your  stubbornness; 
and  she  will,  too.” 

The  frightened  child  sat  up  and  tried  to  rec- 
ollect where  she  was.  “O,  yes,  I remember 
now ! I still  have  that  sweet,  happy  feeling  in- 
side me  that  came  when  ‘Jesus  loved  me,’  ” 
and  then  a sharp  pain  in  her  left  arm  drew  her 
attention  to  this  member,  hanging  limp  and  use- 
less by  her  side,  broken. 

The  preacher  was  going  to  chapel  for  even- 
ing sendee,  and  with  him  walked  his  faithful 

5 


66 


KIM  SU  BANG 


class  leader.  As  they  neared  the  building  he 
saw  in  a heap  by  the  door  a strange,  forlorn 
little  figure  which  he  did  not  at  first  recognize 
as  the  child  convert  of  the  morning.  Soon, 
however,  he  drew  from  the  poor,  agitated  lit- 
tle creature  the  whole  sad  story,  and  that,  not 
knowing  what  to  do,  she  ran  away  and  came  to 
ask  him.  The  courageous  faith  of  the  child 
filled  him  with  awe,  and  he  wondered  while 
he  rejoiced.  Calling  to  him  a Bible  woman, 
he  sent  Agie  to  the  mission  doctor  for  care 
and  treatment;  and  soon  she  was  comfortable 
and  happy  because  she  knew  that  all  that  was 
possible  would  be  done  for  her. 

The  class  leader,  Mr.  Cho,  was  dispatched  to 
the  house  of  the  rich  Mr.  Na  with  money  to 
bargain  for  the  little  slave.  This  was  easily 
done,  for  she  had  ceased  to  have  any  real  mar- 
ket value  elsewhere;  and  since  it  seemed  that 
she  would  rather  die  than  give  up  her  faith, 
they  decided  it  would  be  best  to  sell  her  for 
a good  price  to  the  Christians.  This  they  did, 
and  Agie  was  free. 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


67 


The  child  got  well  fast.  Her  home  was  with 
the  kind  class  leader,  and  she  was  soon  happier 
and  brighter  than  ever  before.  She  went  to 
the  mission  school  and  learned  quickly  to  read 
the  new  Bible  and  hymn  book  Mr.  Cho  gave  her 
in  place  of  the  one  she  left  at  Mr.  Na’s  in  her 
hurry  the  night  she  ran  away. 

Each  Sunday  after  that  she  came  to  the  lit- 
tle chapel,  always  eager  and  earnest  in  her  de- 
sire to  know.  She  quickly  memorized  many 
passages  of  Scripture,  and  loved  to  sing  the 
sweet  old  hymns  from  the  red  hymn  book.  The 
pale,  gentle  girl  won  the  heart  of  all;  she  was 
one  of  Christ’s  own  little  ones,  and  seemed  to 
give  her  life  into  his  keeping  as  soon  as  she 
heard  of  his  love  for  her.  But  she  was  not  bap- 
tized because  her  time  of  probation  was  not 
passed. 

Mr.  Cho,  Agie’s  adopted  father,  noticed  one 
day  that  something  was  weighing  on  the  child’s 
mind ; and  calling  her  to  him,  he  said : “Come, 
little  one;  tell  me  what  makes  you  so  sad  and 
unhappy  when  the  other  children  are  playing 
around.” 


68 


KIM  SU  BANG 


Then,  seeing  his  kind  and  loving  interest, 
she  told  him  what  saddened  her  heart — how 
she  loved  her  tired,  overburdened  mother,  and 
how  ever  before  her  came  the  mother’s  worn, 
haggard,  sorrowful  face,  telling  the  story  of  a 
life  without  God  or  hope  in  the  world. 
Then,  breaking  down,  she  cried,  “O,  tell  me, 
could  I be  happy  in  heaven  without  my  moth- 
er? She  does  not  know  about  Jesus,  and  O,  I 
must  go  tell  her  about  this  peace  and  rest  in 
here!”  and  she  placed  her  hand  on  her  heart 
while  the  tears  ran  down  her  cheeks.  “Then, 
Mr.  Cho,  I always  pray  for  my  father,  too.  I 
was  always  afraid  of  him,  but  I try  to  love  him 
because  it  was  the  'wine  that  made  him  bad 
and  so  cruel  to  mother  and  me.” 

The  kind  Mr.  Cho  promised  to  assist  her  in 
the  search  for  her  parents ; and  one  bright  day 
in  early  winter  he  came  home  with  the  happy 
news  that  he  had  been  appointed  to  preach  on 
a certain  circuit,  and  within  this  circuit,  fifty 
miles  to  the  south,  lay  the  little  village  of  Cam- 
borree,  Agie’s  home. 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


69 


The  fact  that  it  was  very  cold  and  that  the 
snow  lay  thick  upon  the  ground  made  no  dif- 
ference to  the  little  heroine  of  faith.  “Yes, 
yes!”  she  said;  “I  must  go  with  you  the  first 
trip,  for  I want  to  be  the  one  to  tell  my  mother 
about  Jesus’s  love  for  her.” 

So  it  came  about  that  on  a bright,  crisp  win- 
ter morning  We  find  Agie  and  her  adopted  fa- 
ther facing  the  cold  to  walk  the  long,  weary 
miles  between  the  city  of  Seoul  and  the  little 
village  of  Camborree.  He  was  a poor  man; 
and  since  walking  is  the  principal  and  almost 
the  only  mode  of  traveling  known  to  the  mid- 
dle class  of  people,  Mr.  Cho  and  Agie  were 
thankful  and  overjoyed  to  be  allowed  to  go  on 
this  mission.  They  had  their  feet  well  bound 
with  cloth  over  the  straw  sandals.  Extra  san- 
dals were  thrown  over  their  shoulders,  while 
Mr.  Cho  carried  the  large  bowl  of  rice  which 
Mother  Cho  had  prepared  for  the  first  day’s  re- 
freshment; for  Agie  was  not  very  strong  yet, 
and  it  would  take  two  days  for  her  to  walk  this 
distance. 


70 


KIM  SU  BANG 


The  evening  of  the  second  day  finds  the  trav- 
elers nearing  the  little  village  among  the  hills. 
The  child  forgets  her  tired  back  and  blistered 
feet  as  she  sees  only  the  beloved  mountains  and 
well-remembered  scenes  which  she  had  feared 
she  would  never  see  again.  There  on  the  hill 
is  the  place  where  she  often  picked  berries; 
here  on  this  side  of  the  brook  is  where  she  came 
so  often  with  her  mother  to  wash  clothes.  This 
is  the  well  she  once  dropped  the  bucket  in;  just 
around  the  turn  of  the  hill  is  home.  O,  can  it 
be?  Yes,  that  is  the  house.  Home!  Home  at 
last,  and  her  eyes  are  bright  with  tears!  But 
how  changed ! It  is  as  she  feared.  It  has  been 
sold  and  her  people  gone.  Yes,  it  must  be ; for, 
see,  it  has  a new  roof.  There  is  a new  room 
added  to  the  old  shed,  and  everything  wears  an 
air  of  respectability  which  the  old  place  had 
long  ago  lost  under  her  father’s  shiftless  ways. 
With  her  heart  bleeding  and  sore  she  sits  down 
by  the  wayside  and  bursts  into  sobs  and  uncon- 
trollable tears,  while  the  kind-hearted  man 
stands  by  helpless. 


WOMAN  CARRYING  WATER. 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


71 


A sweet-faced,  gentle  woman,  bearing  a wa- 
ter pot  on  her  head,  opens  the  gate ; and  at  the 
familiar  click  Agie  lifts  her  head,  expecting  to 
see  an  utter  stranger.  Then  with  a cry  of 
“Omanie!  omanie”  (“Mother!  mother !”)  she 
rushes  forward.  The  water  pot,  unheeded,  is 
broken  into  a hundred  pieces,  and  mother  and 
child  are  again  united. 

That  night,  as  the  reunited  family  sat  on  the 
floor  of  the  now  comfortable  home,  Agie 
learned  from  her  parents  that  several  months 
before  her  father  had  heard  the  gospel  of  Je- 
sus, and  he  and  her  mother  had  joyfully  turned 
to  Christ;  then  came  the  transformation  in 
their  home.  Peace  and  hope  now  reigned 
where  once  were  strife  and  desolation.  The  fa- 
ther told  in  an  agony  of  tears  how  he  had 
sought  everywhere  for  his  lost  child  without 
finding  a trace  of  her.  He  showed  with  much 
pride  his  rough,  brawny  hands,  the  proof 
of  honest  toil;  and  no  one  would  recognize 
in  him  the  cold,  hard  man  of  a year  ago. 


KIM  SU  BANG 


What  had  wrought  the  change?  That  power 
which  is  the  unanswerable  argument  of  Chris- 
tianity—Christ  Jesus  in  human  hearts,  trans- 
forming the  unlovely,  miserable  human  life 
into  the  lovely,  happy  life  of  a child  of  God. 
Not  only  is  this  man  a completely  changed  crea- 
ture; but  the  home,  where  joy  and  love  now 
reign,  is  but  an  illustration  of  how  all  else  is 
changed  with  the  entrance  of  Christ. 

As  the  father  finished  his  story  he  cried:  “O 
Father,  help  me  to  serve  thee  fully  for  all  thy 
great  love  and  wonderful  gifts!”  Then  the 
break  in  the  voice  and  the  tears,  more  eloquent 
than  words,  told  of  deep,  earnest  feeling. 

Before  many  months  had  passed  the  fond 
parents  saw  that  the  child  they  loved  more  ten- 
derly than  ever  was  slowly  fading  away.  She 
grew  sweeter,  dearer  every  day,  seeming  truly 
to  live  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  whom  she 
so  lovingly  served.  Soon  she  was  unable  to 
leave  her  room,  but  she  had  for  her  constant 
companion  her  little  red  books. 

“Father,”  she  said  one  day,  “won’t  you  send 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


73 


for  Mr.  Cho?  I have  never  been  baptized,  and 
I have  no  name  but  ‘baby.’*  I am  going  to 
leave  you  soon,  and  want  to  be  baptized  with 
you  and  mother.” 

So  the  pastor  at  the  time  of  his  next  appoint- 
ment came  into  the  humble  home  to  bring  the 
seal  of  the  Church  to  these  faithful  followers 
of  Christ.  “What  name  do  you  want  to  be 
called,  Agie?”  asked  the  pastor,  bending  over 
to  catch  the  faint  answer,  for  she  was  very 
weak  now  and  could  not  speak  above  a whis- 
per. 

“Faith,”  she  answered,  which  in  the  musical 
tongue  of  the  Koreans  is  “Mittome.”  A look 
Qf  joy  and  triumph  came  into  her  face  as  she 
answered. 

Mittome  was  no  longer  nameless,  but  had 
the  name  of  God’s  elect,  and  soon  after  passed 
away  with  a smile  to  where  “beyond  these 
voices  there  is  peace.” 

In  the  plain,  unpainted  coffin,  with  the  little, 

*According  to  Korean  custom,  girls  and  women  have 
no  individual  names. 


74 


KIM  SU  BANG 


wasted  body,  they  placed  the  Bible  and  worn 
red  hymn  book  she  loved  so  much. 

While  their  hearts  ached,  the  parents  re- 
joiced at  God’s  goodness  as  they  listened  to  the 
Christians  singing: 

“Safe  in  the  arms  of  Jesus, 

Safe  on  his  gentle  breast/’ 

Safe,  safe  at  last,  thank  God!  The  mother 
realized  as  she  never  had  before  what  unutter- 
able danger  her  child  had  been  subjected  to 
and  the  blessedness  of  safety  she  had  found  in 
Christ.  With  this  realization  of  what  Christ 
and  his  love  had  meant  to  her  came  the  over- 
powering sense  of  debt  to  him.  Then,  falling 
prostrate,  she  lifted  her  heart  and  voice  to  her 
Lord.  “O  Father  in  heaven,  thou  didst  save 
my  child  from  an  awful  fate;  thou  didst  save 
us  all  through  Jesus,  and  now  Mittome  is  hap- 
py in  glory.  I want  to  thank  thee,  dear  Lord ; 
but  I am  only  a poor  Korean  woman.  I can- 
not read  or  write;  but  if  thou  canst  use  me,  I 
give  myself  to  thee,  for  that  is  all  I have.  It 
isn’t  a very  nice  gift,  O Lord,  I know;  but  use 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


75 


me,  poor  creature  that  I am.  Use  me  to  help 
save  other  girls  as  mine  has  been  saved.,, 

Such  was  the  bereaved  mother’s  prayer  of 
consecration.  And  within  a few  days  she  start- 
ed to  walk  the  many  miles  to  the  great  city 
where  lived  the  American  ladies  who  had  in 
charge  the  school  for  training  Bible  women.  In 
her  heart  was  much  anxiety,  for  she  had  heard 
that  there  were  many  applicants,  and  room  for 
but  few.  Will  there  be  room  for  her? 

As  she  neared  the  great  city  the  twilight 
deepened.  The  long,  thick  shadows  lay  dark 
across  her  path.  The  purple  mountains  seemed 
far  away  and  grew  faint  and  dim. 

Soon  in  the  distance,  from  an  elevation  over- 
looking the  city,  Martha  (which  was  now  her 
name)  saw  the  twinkling  lights  through  the 
smoke  from  the  evening  fires.  Now  soon  she 
would  stand  in  the  presence  of  those  women, 
who  might  open  for  her  the  doors  to  knowl- 
edge and  help  her  to  fulfill  her  cherished  mis- 
sion to  the  daughters  of  Korea.  “O,  is  there 


76 


KIM  SU  BANG 


room  for  me?”  she' cried;  “or  will  they  tell  me 
that  they  have  turned  many  others  away?” 
Darker,  deeper  grew  the  evening  shadows; 
and  the  lonely,  tired  woman  lingered  still  on 
the  brow  of  the  hill,  watching  with  unseeing 
eyes  the  lights  of  the  city  below,  while  in  her 
heart  burned  the  question,  “Is  there  room  for 
me?” 


COME  UNTO  ME 


GOOD  morning,  teacher ; have  you  come 
in  peace  ? I am  so  glad  that  you  came 
to  see  me.  I am  all  alone  to-day,  and 
now  that  you  are  here  I will  not  get  lonely. 

You  say  that  you  want  me  to  tell  you  my  sto- 
ry. O yes,  I will  be  glad  to  tell  you  all  about 
my  life;  but  first  you  must  eat  something. 

This  is  a very  humble  fare ; but  knowing  that 
you  were  coming  to  our  village,  I made  these 
rice-flour  cakes  specially  for  you.  This  “kim- 
chi”  [pickle]  is  made  from  new  turnips.  Won’t 
you  have  some?  No?  Well,  I know  that,  as  a 
rule,  Americans  care  little  for  “kimchi it  has 
too  much  red  pepper  and  garlic  in  it,  I sup- 
pose. 

Now  I will  tell  you  my  story.  I suppose  a 
part  of  it  is  not  unlike  that  of  a great  many  Ko- 
rean women,  for  many  of  them  have  very  sad 
lives. 

My  father  died  when  I was  only  eight  years 

(77) 


78 


KIM  SU  BANG 


old ; and  though  many  years  have  passed  since 
then  and  I am  no  longer  young,  I can  still  re- 
hear the  shrill,  unearthly,  hopeless  mourning  at 
his  funeral  and  remember  the  horror  and  fear 
with  which  I observed  the  preparations  to  keep 
the  evil  spirits  from  finding  and  disturbing 
him. 

It  seems  that  I can  hear  yet  the  wails  of  my 
mother,  morning  and  evening,  as  she  set  the 
sacrificial  bowl  of  rice  before  my  father’s  tab- 
let. I did  not  fully  understand  the  meaning  of 
these  offerings  before  the  ancestral  tablets.  I 
only  dimly  felt  that  in  some  mysterious  way  it 
would  make  my  father  happier  in  the  shadow 
land  of  spirits.  So,  partly  from  sympathy  and 
more  from  fear,  I lifted  my  voice  with  my 
mother’s  to  that  hopeless  wail  of  despair  every 
morning  and  evening. 

My  mother  was  very  poor  those  days,  and  it 
was  difficult  for  us  to  get  even  enough  to 
eat.  She  often  talked  of  my  marriage,  and  I 
knew  that  event  was  not  far  off.  I was  very 
much  interested  in  my  fate,  I will  confess, 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


79 


though,  according  to  good  Korean  custom,  I 
could  ask  no  question ; and,  to  appear  properly 
modest,  I had  to  seem  very  unconcerned  and 
indifferent. 

The  boy  to  whom  I was  finally  betrothed, 
and  of  course  whom  I had  never  seen,  was  three 
years  older  than  I,  and  was  said  to  be  a very 
nice  fellow.  The  bridal  gifts  were  exchanged 
to  the  great  satisfaction  of  my  mother  and  the 
rest  of  the  family;  and  while  I was  more  con- 
cerned about  my  future  mother-in-law  and  was 
wondering  what  she  was  like,  my  childish  fancy 
was  well  pleased  with  the  bright-colored 
clothes  and  specially  the  silk  (which  I had  nev- 
er owned  before)  sent  me  from  my  future  hus- 
band’s home. 

The  wedding  day  came ; and  I left  my  moth- 
er and  the  only  home  I had  ever  known, 
which  I have  not  seen  since.  The  long  jour- 
ney to  my  husband’s  house  in  the  city  seems 
like  a dream  now.  The  bright  plush  chair,  the 
chair  bearers  in  their  blue  uniform,  and  even  I, 
too,  with  all  that  gorgeous  red  robe,  seem  a 


80 


KIM  SU  BANG 


part  of  a long-past  dream.  The  family  I was 
entering  was  well-to-do ; and  although  we  were 
so  very  poor,  my  mother  had  managed  to  make 
a very  fine  match  for  me  because  I was  consid- 
ered quite  pretty  in  those  days.  I had  always 
been  a delicate  child,  and  I suppose  it  was  that 
fragile  beauty  which  was  in  demand. 

During  the  wedding  ceremony,  which  was  at 
the  groom’s  house,  and  which  consisted  simply 
of  the  bride  and  groom  bowing  to  each  other, 
I had  to  appear  as  much  as  if  I were  made  of 
wood  as  possible.  My  mother  and  the  other 
women  at  home,  who,  according  to  our  cus- 
tom, never  attend  the  marriage  of  a girl  of 
the  family,  had  given  me  special  injunctions 
as  to  my  behavior  on  this  great  day,  and  I 
knew  that  if  I spoke  cn  that  day  for  any  rea- 
son it  would  be  a disgrace. 

Home  and  all  of  my  kin  were  left  behind.  T 
was  in  a new  world,  and  must  learn  to  adjust 
myself  to  it  without  outside  help;  and  yet  T 
was  only  nine  years  old. 

Although  I had  never  seen  Ye  Tai  Ya,  the 


BRIDE  AND  GR001V 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


81 


groom,  it  was  not  good  manners  for  me  to 
look  at  him  then.  He  never  said  a word  to 
me,  and  I didn’t  dare  look  at  him ; but  in  some 
way  I felt  that  he  was  sorry  for  me.  He  was 
not  rude,  but  rather  gentle,  and  I liked  him 
right  away.  As  soon  as  the  ceremony  was  over 
he  went  back  to  the  men’s  quarters  to  the  feast, 
and  the  women  took  me  to  the  inside  part  of 
the  house — the  women’s  quarters.  There  I sat 
all  day,  not  moving,  not  speaking,  to  be  gazed 
upon  and  criticised.  O how  lonely  and  dreary 
I felt  in  the  midst  of  that  crowd  of  careless,  un- 
sympathetic women  ! My  mother-in-law  was 
determined  that  I should  not  be  vain;  and  if 
any  one  said  I was  pretty,  she  would  reply: 
“Pretty?  O,  no!  Her  eyes  are  not  a good 
shape,  and  she  is  too  thin.”  Through  all  the 
comments,  favorable  or  unfavorable,  I was  ex- 
pected to  sit  with  downcast  eyes  and  seem  not 
to  hear.  Then  they  discussed  my  family — our 
poverty  and  position — until  it  seemed  my  heart 
would  break,  and  I thought  if  I could  just  run 
away  and  go  home  again  I would  be  happy, 
for  I would  rather  die  than  be  there. 

6 


82 


KIM  SU  BANG 


O the  days  of  unhappiness  and  misery  that 
followed ! My  mother-in-law  was  cruel,  heart- 
less, and  irritable.  She  decided  that  I was 
spoiled  and  vain,  and  that  it  was  her  duty  to 
straighten  me  out.  For  several  weeks  the  rel- 
atives and  neighbors  came  in  to  see  the  bride  ; 
and  I was  dressed  up  to  be  shown  off,  much  as 
though  I were  a new  pony  or  an  image. 

Ye  Tai  Ya  I seldom  saw.  He  was  going  to 
school,  and  his  mother  was  so  very  cross  that 
he  never  liked  to  come  inside  our  court;  and 
I did  not  blame  him,  for  I would  gladly  have 
stayed  away  had  it  been  possible.  He  paid 
very  little  attention  to  me,  but  went  his  way 
much  as  though  I did  not  exist.  However,  he 
was  the  only  one  who  was  not  really  unkind, 
and  I often  felt  that  he  would  have  been  very 
kind  if  he  had  dared. 

We  had  plenty  of  this  world’s  goods,  and 
kept  several  servants,  and  it  was  not  necessary 
for  me  to  work  hard ; but  my  mother-in-law  did 
not  want  me  to  be  lazy ; and  while  she  did  noth- 
ing at  all,  I had  to  take  my  place  in  the  kitchen 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


83 


with  the  hardest  work.  Often  at  night  in  the 
summer,  after  a hard  day's  work,  I had  to  sit 
and  fan  her  to  sleep.  If  I stopped  fanning,  she 
would  wake  up  and  scold  me;  so  many  nights 
I sat  by  her  on  the  floor  until  dawn. 

Thus  the  years  passed  by.  O,  no ! they  were 
far  from  being  happy.  I had  always  been  del- 
icate, and  the  hard  work  and  unhappy  sur- 
roundings were  telling  on  my  health.  Many 
times  I thought  of  suicide,  but  every  means 
seemed  so  hard.  Many  women  I had  heard 
of  had  drunk  lye,  but  death  by  that  means  is 
so  slow  and  painful.  If  I had  been  able  to  get 
some  powerful,  quick  drug,  I would  have  killed 
myself;  for  life  held  no  joys  and  few  promises 
of  better  things. 

Ye  Tai  Ya  had  taken  to  drink.  He  was 
home  but  seldom,  and  then  very  often  he  was 
drunk.  I can  look  back  on  those  days,  how- 
ever, and  truly  say  that  he  wras  never  cruel  to 
me.  His  mother  was  the  great  thorn  in  my 
flesh,  the  great  burden  of  my  life.  Had  I been 
a slave,  my  life  would  have  been  no  harder. 


84 


KIM  SU  BANG 


Through  a neighbor  who  moved  from  my 
home  village  I learned  that  my  mother  was 
dead  and  the  home  sold  for  debt.  I might 
have  run  away  if  I had  known  where  to  run, 
but  where  could  I go?  There  seemed  nothing 
to  do  but  patiently  endure  till  the  end. 

Many  times  the  heartless  old  woman  beat 
me  cruelly  for  mere  trifles.  It  seemed  that  she 
was  tired  of  me,  and  would  gladly  have  had  me 
out  of  the  way.  It  was  on  my  twentieth  birth- 
day that  she  gave  me  an  unusually  hard  beat- 
ing; and  for  some  time  after  that  I was  uncon- 
scious, and  this  was  followed  by  native  fever, 
from  which  it  seemed  for  a long  time  that  I 
would  not  recover.  I was  not  conscious,  how- 
ever, much  of  the  time,  and  remember  little 
save  that  one  of  the  old  servant  women  cared 
for  me  during  this  time. 

After  my  recovery  from  this  illness  my 
mother-in-law  told  me  without  much  mercy 
that  she  had  decided  to  get  a second  wife 
for  her  son  because  I was  so  puny  and 
good-for-nothing.  She  already  had  the  girl 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


85 


selected.  Of  course  I could  stay.  Certainly  I 
was  the  first  wife ; but  I had  a bad  temper  and 
was  not  kind  to  her,  though  if  I had  had  a son 
it  would  have  been  different. 

Then  came  the  time  I never  can  forget.  It 
seemed  that  the  old  tiger  was  not  satisfied  with 
what  she  had  done,  but  made  up  her  mind  to 
get  rid  of  me  altogether.  That  night  she  pro- 
voked a quarrel  over  something  I had  done 
about  the  work — done  as  best  I could,  but  not 
to  suit  her  fancy.  Then  she  scolded  and  abused 
me  until  midnight.  I stood  it  as  long  as  I 
could,  and  then  did  what  she  hoped  I would  do 
— lost  control  of  my  temper,  and  answered 
back.  Ye  Tai  Ya  came  in  just  then,  and  I ap- 
pealed to  him;  but  he  was  too  drunk  to  under- 
stand, and  went  staggering  into  his  room, 
chanting  a drunken  song.  His  mother  then 
waxed  furious.  “Never  let  me  see  your  face 
again!”  she  screamed,  and  in  her  rage  pulled 
me  to  the  high  wall,  thrust  me  out  of  the  big 
gate  into  the  narrow  street,  and  fastened  the 
ponderous  bolts. 


86 


KIM  SU  BANG 


There,  alone  at  midnight,  unprotected  on  the 
streets  of  that  great  city,  I stood  dazed  and  hor- 
rified. The  loud  voice  of  my  mother-in-law 
and  her  abuses  came  to  me  across  the  wall,  and 
I started  to  run — where?  I did  not  know,  but 
anywhere  to  be  rid  of  her  eternal  nagging  and 
persecution. 

Did  I think  then  of  my  husband?  O,  yes! 
That  was  a sore  place  in  my  heart,  for  I had 
learned  to  love  him  as  much  as  was  natural. 
I did  not  know  him  very  well,  yet  he  had  al- 
ways been  kind  to  me  in  a way ; and  he  was  the 
only  one  left  in  all  the  world  who  had  been 
kind  except  the  servants;  they  were  sorry  for 
me. 

That  night,  alone  in  a great  city,  I felt 
that  life  was  truly  worth  very  little.  Afraid 
and  terror-stricken,  I knew  not  where  to  go. 
Some  men  passing  me  laughed  and  followed. 
With  a great  horror  coming  over  me,  I turned 
into  a narrow  alley.  Fear  lent  wings  to  my 
feet,  and  I sped  away  like  the  wind.  I heard 
the  men  coming,  and  faster  and  faster  I went 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


87 


through  alleys  and  streets  until  they  were  far 
away  and  lost  in  the  distance.  But  I did  not 
stop  until  I dropped  exhausted  by  the  way. 
In  my  despair  I thought  of  only  one  thing — 
the  river.  I did  not  know  where  it  was,  nor 
in  what  direction,  for  I had  been  out  only  in 
a closed  chair;  but  I would  find  it  somehow, 
and  there  end  my  sorrow  with  my  life.  At 
last  I found  strength  to  move  on,  and  as  I 
was  passing  slowly  down  a side  street  I 
saw  an  old  woman  sitting  in  an  open  door. 
She  saw  me  too  as  I was  trying  to  slip  past, 
and  called  to  me.  Her  voice  was  kind,  and, 
not  knowing  what  else  to  do,  I stopped.  Al- 
though I had  on  no  veil,  she  must  have  seen 
from  my  clothes  that  I was  no  slave,  and  she 
probably  guessed  what  had  happened.  Finally 
she  drew  from  me  my  story,  which  is  not  an 
unusual  one,  you  know.  Then  she  said : “You 
are  too  good-looking  to  kill  yourself.  I 
wouldn’t  do  any  such  thing.  You  stay  here 
with  me  until  morning,  and  then  we  will  see 
what  can  be  done.” 


88 


KIM  SU  BANG 


I was  then  so  tired  and  withal  so  glad  to  get 
any  shelter  from  that  awful  street  and  its  dan- 
gers that  I stayed. 

The  next  morning  I found  that  the  old  lady 
was  trying  to  make  some  money  for  herself 
and  not  simply  kind  for  the  sake  of  goodness. 
She  was  a matchmaker,  and  would  manage  so 
as  to  get  a husband  for  me  and  a fee  for  her- 
self. There  was  a rich  man  in  a village  near 
the  city  who  had  commissioned  her  to  find  him 
a pretty  concubine.  She  liked  my  face,  and 
thought  I would  do  well. 

At  first  I would  not  hear  to  it.  Of  course  I 
knew  that  I could  never  go  back  to  Ye  Tai 
Ya’s  house,  anyway,  and  he  would  have  anoth- 
er wife.  It  was  true  that  many  of  those  I 
knew  did  this  very  thing.  No,  I did  not  know 
that  it  was  wrong;  but  my  very  soul  shrank 
from  it.  “I  would  rather  die,”  I said.  But  the 
old  lady  argued  and  persuaded  for  some  time. 

I stayed  there  several  weeks.  I had  no  oth- 
er place  to  go.  It  was  this : be  a concubine  or 
— the  river.  The  more  I thought  of  the  river 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


SO 


the  more  awful  it  seemed.  I would  die  then, 
and  what  becomes  of  one  after  death?  Would 
my  soul  go  into  a cat  or  dog?  Perhaps  I 
would  be  born  a woman  again  and  live  the 
same  life  over.  I did  not  know. 

So  I listened  to  the  old  woman’s  arguments, 
and  gradually  my  resolution  wavered.  I was 
so  unhappy  that  it  made  no  difference,  I 
thought,  what  happened  to  me. 

Then  I yielded,  though  my  first  venture  on 
the  matrimonial  sea  had  not  been  a pleasant 
voyage. 

Mr.  Sung  was  not  a good  man  in  any  sense 
of  the  word ; but  for  a while  he  was  very  kind 
to  me,  and  I had  everything  to  make  me  com- 
fortable and  a home  separate  from  the  other 
wife.  No,  I was  not  happy;  I soon  grew  to 
hate  that  wicked  old  man,  and  was  sad  and  sor- 
row-stricken. Perhaps  if  I had  been  vivacious 
and  interesting,  he  would  not  have  grown  tired 
of  me  before  a year  had  passed;  but  I was 
grateful  for  a comfortable  home  and  because 
I had  no  mother-in-law  to  beat  me. 


90 


KIM  SU  BANG 


Then  my  baby  came.  How  I had  hoped  it 
would  be  a boy ! Many  times  I had  walked  to 
the  top  of  the  mountain  and  made  sacrifices  to 
the  spirits  there  and  prayed  to  them  to  send  me 
a boy.  Mr.  Sung  had  no  son,  and  above  all 
things  else  he  wanted  a son  to  inherit  his  prop- 
erty and  worship  him  when  he  was  dead.  So 
if  my  baby  had  been  a boy  I would  always  have 
had  a home  at  least.  But  the  gods  were  deaf ; 
it  was  a girl. 

Mr.  Sung  was  in  the  city  when  the  little  girl 
was  born,  but  he  came  home  when  she  was 
three  days  old.  I shall  never  forget  how  that 
man  raged.  He  raved  and  swore  at  me,  tore 
his  hair,  and  I believe  he  would  have  killed  the 
baby  if  I had  let  him  get  his  hands  on  her. 
'“Go,”  he  cried ; “you  are  nothing  but  a pretty 
beggar.  Go,  and  never  do  I want  to  see  you 
again!”  Then  he  kicked  me  out  of  the  door 
into  the  street,  and  it  was  a cold,  chilly  day  in 
March. 

The  poor  baby  fretted  and  cried ; and  I tied 
her  on  my  back,  not  feeling  the  cold,  scarcely 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


91 


thinking  at  all.  And  that  was  the  last  that  I 
knew  or  remembered  for  many  days. 

After  a long  time  I opened  my  eyes  and 
looked  around,  though  I was  so  weak  I could 
not  move.  I was  in  a tidy,  comfortable  room, 
lying  on  a nice,  hot  floor.  It  was  night,  and 
a candle  flickered  in  a tall  brass  candlestick 
by  my  side;  and  near  by  sat  a sweet-faced 
woman.  She  had  a book  in  her  hand,  and  was 
reading  aloud.  I listened  in  wonder : “ ‘Blessed 
are  the  poor  in  spirit : for  theirs  is  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn : for 
they  shall  be  comforted.  Blessed  are  the  meek : 
for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth.  Blessed  are 
they  that  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness : 
for  they  shall  be  filled.  Blessed  are  the  merci- 
ful : for  they  shall  obtain  mercy.  Blessed  are 
the  pure  in  heart : for  they  shall  see  God.’  ” 

What  strange,  sweet  words  those  were!  I 
felt  a dim,  unknown  sense  of  peace  and  securi- 
ty. I moved,  and  the  woman  stopped  reading 
and  looked  up.  “Am  I dead?”  I asked.  “I 


92 


KIM  SU  BANG 


feel  so  strange  and  unnatural;  and  what  are 
those  beautiful  words  you  are  reading?” 

“No,”  she  said,  “you  are  not  dead;  but  you 
have  been  very,  very  sick.  You  are  with 
friends,  but  you  must  not  talk  now.  No,  you 
must  not  talk  any  more ; but  take  this  medicine 
and  go  to  sleep,  and  when  you  are  stronger 
I will  tell  you  about  what  has  happened.” 

So  I fell  asleep  again  with  a strange  sense 
of  rest  and  security  I had  not  known  before. 

When  I next  waked  up,  I was  stronger;  and 
the  Christian  woman,  Louis,  told  me  what  had 
happened.  She  said  that  some  of  the  'Chris- 
tians found  me  wandering  about  the  city  streets 
with  a high  fever  and  delirious.  The  little 
baby  tied  on  my  back  was  dead.  These  Chris- 
tians had  taken  me  to  the  home  of  this  good 
woman,  and  she  had  nursed  me  day  and  night 
through  four  weeks  of  fever  and  sickness. 

Slowly  life  and  strength  came  back  to  me 
through  the  nursing  and  care  of  Louis.  She 
ministered  gently  unto  me,  and  not  only  nour- 
ished my  body,  but  my  starving  soul  as  well. 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


93 


I begged  to  hear  more  of  the  Book  I heard 
her  reading  while  I was  sick,  and  she  gladly 
gratified  me.  The  sweetest  words  that  ever 
mortal  heard  are  in  that  blessed  Book. 

At  first  I could  not  understand  why  these 
people  took  me,  a stranger,  into  their  home  and 
cared  for  me,  and  I was  inclined  to  be  sus- 
picious. But  gradually,  as  I heard  more  of 
their  religion,  of  Jesus  Christ  and  his  work  on 
earth,  of  how  he  even  died  to  save  others,  I be- 
gan to  understand  that  it  was  not  through  any 
hope  of  receiving  pay  but  simply  for  the  sake 
of  this  Saviour  and  his  followers,  that  they 
had  taken  me  in,  a stranger,  and  sick  unto 
death. 

Many  hours  I would  sit  while  Louis  read 
wonderful  things  from  the  Book.  Especially  I 
loved  to  hear  the  words  of  Jesus,  and  one  verse 
I would  have  her  read  time  and  again  to  me. 
It  was : “Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and 
are  heavy-laden,  and  I will  give  you  rest.”  My 
“rest  verse,”  I call  that. 

I could  not  read  then ; but  I was  so  anxious 


94 


KIM  SU  BANG 


to  read  the  Bible  for  myself  that  Louis  kindly 
offered  to  teach  me,  and  so  I followed  my  teach- 
er eagerly  when  she  had  time  to  instruct  me. 
These  people  were  not  wealthy,  but  rather  poor. 
They  often  had  to  scrimp  to  make  ends  meet; 
and  while  I knew  that  I must  be  an  added  care, 
they  always  made  me  feel  that  I was  one  of 
them  and  no  burden.  All  the  housework  was 
done  by  Louis  and  her  young  daughter,  so  I 
gladly  gave  my  time  and  energy  to  the  house- 
work with  a much  more  willing  spirit  than 
wLen  under  my  former  mother-in-law  as  task- 
master. 

Whenever  I said  anything  about  going  aw7ay 
(for  I felt  that  it  was  not  right  to  stay  thus), 
Louis  always  said:  “No,  you  are  not  strong 
enough  yet.  Stay  as  one  of  the  family  until 
the  Lord  sends  something  better.  Pray  for 
guidance,  trust  the  Lord,  and  w^ait  until  he 
leads  you  out.” 

So  I waited  and  prayed  and  studied  while 
another  year  passed  aw7ay. 

The  little  chapel  in  the  city  was  the  place  I 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


95 


loved  best  to  go.  Its  peace  filled  my  soul  with 
a holy  calm,  for  it  was  there  that  I gave  my 
heart  to  God.  I could  trust  him  afterwards  to 
give  what  was  best. 

It  was  in  June  of  that  year  that  we  had  a great 
revival.  Many  were  the  confessions  made  and 
the  experiences  told  during  that  meeting.  Many 
were  born  into  the  kingdom.  You  know  how 
the  chapel  is  divided — a high  board  partition 
through  the  middle,  the  men  on  one  side,  the 
women  on  the  other.  Well,  one  night  several 
had  spoken,  and  it  was  growing  late  when  on 
the  other  side  of  the  partition  a man  arose.  I 
could  not  see  him,  but  at  the  first  sound  of  his 
voice  I grew  cold  from  head  to  foot.  Was  I 
dreaming?  No,  it  was  truly  the  voice  of  Ye  Tai 
Ya.  I listened  with  amazement.  Could  it  be 
that  he  was  talking  about  me?  He  told  how 
the  morning  after  his  mother  had  driven  me 
away  he  awakened  from  a drunken  sleep  to 
realize  what  had  happened,  but  too  late  to  find 
me.  He  told  how  he  had  searched  the  city 
over,  but  no  trace  could  be  found.  Then  he 


96 


KIM  SU  BANG 


realized,  when  too  late,  that  he  loved  his  wife; 
and  to  all  his  mother’s  propositions  about  a 
second  wife  he  stormed  and  raged  until  she 
grew  to  fear  him.  He  drank  more  and  more 
wine,  and  grew  so  cross  that  all  thought  he 
was  going  crazy.  Then  one  night  he  drifted 
with  some  others  into  the  little  chapel  and  grew 
interested  in  the  Jesus  doctrine.  Every  service 
found  him  at  the  chapel,  eager  to  learn  more. 
He  told  at  length  how  he  had  found  Christ  as 
his  Saviour,  but  could  not  be  happy  until  he 
found  his  young  wife  and  righted  her  wrongs. 

What  did  I do  ? I felt  that  I could  not  move, 
but  sat  like  one  in  a trance.  The  congregation 
was  dismissed,  but  still  I sat  there  with  my 
face  in  my  hands.  The  others  thought  I was 
praying;  but  Louis,  who  knew  my  story,  came 
to  me  after  a while.  “Was  that  your  hus- 
band?” she  asked.  And  when  she  found  that 
it  was,  she  knelt  down,  and  we  thanked  God  to- 
gether while  our  hearts  overflowed  with  joy 
and  praise. 

How  I loved  him ! I had  never  thought  be- 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


97 


fore  that  the  world  could  hold  so  much  joy  and 
happiness,  and  I wondered  why  my  heart  didn’t 
burst,  it  beat  so  hard  and  was  so  full  of  joy. 

Louis’s  husband  was  not  long  in  finding  Ye 
Tai  Ya  and  in  telling  him  where  I was  and  all 
that  had  happened  to  me  since  I was  driven 
from  home.  I felt  that  God  was  indeed  lead- 
ing me  out  into  the  way  of  happiness.  He 
came  to  me,  and  yet  I did  not  feel  worthy  to 
be  his  wife,  though  he  said  that  I was  such  be- 
fore God,  and  that  he  too  had  sinned. 

This  man,  so  good,  so  humble — could  he  be 
the  same  I had  half  loved  and  half  feared  ? 

Of  course  I was  his  wife  yet  in  the  sight  of 
God,  as  he  said;  but  I felt  that  in  view  of  all 
that  had  happened  we  should  be  married  with 
the  Christian  ceremony  now.  So  we  were, 
in  the  little  chapel  where  we  had  found  each 
other.  The  old  preacher’s  voice  was  husky, 
and  tears  come  to  my  eyes  yet  as  I recall  the 
beautiful  words  of  that  ceremony:  “Wilt  thou 
love,  honor,  and  keep  her  in  sickness  and  in 
health,  and,  forsaking  all  others,  keep  thee  only 


98 


KIM  SU  BANG 


unto  her,  so  long  as  ye  both  shall  live?”  Then, 
feeling  the  strong,  firm  pressure  of  my  hus- 
band’s hand  when  the  minister  said,  “Join  right 
hands,”  I thanked  God  again  that  he  had  been 
so  good  to  us  as  to  cleanse  us  from  sin  and 
make  us  pure  in  heart.  I felt  that  truly  we  were 
never  married  until  that  hour. 

Yes,  this  is  our  home.  He  has  gone  to  the 
city  to  see  his  mother  to-day.  We  don’t  live 
with  her  any  more.  She  is  very  much  opposed 
to  Christianity,  and  calls  us  both  fools ; but  her 
son  is  very  patient,  and  believes  that  sometime 
she  too  will  be  saved. 

Yes,  teacher,  we  are  trying  to  help  save  the 
people  in  our  village.  My  husband  is  class 
leader,  but  we  feel  very  weak  and  ignorant. 

O,  happy  now  ? Yes,  indeed.  The  world  is 
so  bright  and  my  heart  is  so  full  of  joy  and 
gladness  that  it  is  just  running  over  to  others 
with  a desire  to  help  them  to  the  same  great 
joys. 

Do  you  see  the  little  girl  there  in  the  court- 
yard? She  came  to  me  homeless  a few  weeks 


AND  OTHER  STORIES 


99 


ago,  and  I am  trying  to  do  for  her  as  was  done 
for  me. 

Why,  here  comes  your  chair ! Must  you  go 
so  soon,  teacher?  It  is  not  late  yet. 

The  parting  salutation  of  the  two  women 
has  been  said:  “In  the  midst  of  God’s  grace 
may  you  go  in  peace.”  The  chair  bearers  are 
carefully  picking  their  way  across  the  rice  field. 
But  the  little  woman  in  the  gateway  is  looking 
in  the  other  direction,  down  the  valley,  where 
the  golden  rays  of  the  afternoon  sun  fall  on  a 
man  coming  toward  her.  Her  face  is  lighted 
with  joy  and  happiness,  and  her  lips  part  in  a 
smile  of  love  and  welcome.  Slowly  she  turns 
her  head  and  looks  up  the  valley  as  the  chair 
disappears  around  the  hillside.  The  beautiful 
brown  eyes  are  filled  with  tears  now,  though 
there  is  infinite  peace  in  their  depths  as  she 
tenderly  repeats  the  words:  “Come  unto  me, 
all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy-laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest.” 


I 


